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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. cue — for pool
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. row — to paddle
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. race — the arms race
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rash — hasty
  10. rash — a series
  11. cue — a hint
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rest — what's left
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rest — a break
  17. row — a line
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. game — a match
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rash — on the skin
  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