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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 124 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. charge — electricity
  6. capital — a city
  7. charge — in control
  8. drill — a practice
  9. race — humankind
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. drill — army training
  12. squash — the sport
  13. race — a contest
  14. charge — a price
  15. pit — a hole
  16. band — a ring
  17. race — the arms race
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. capital — money
  21. band — a music group
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mouse — for a computer

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