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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spring — the season
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. race — the arms race
  5. chair — a leader
  6. foot — a measure
  7. game — a match
  8. spring — a coil
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. race — a contest
  15. rush — hurry
  16. race — humankind
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. game — wild animals
  21. spring — of water
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. snap — to click
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com