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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. shower — rain
  8. can — a tin
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rule — government
  15. scale — in music
  16. race — humankind
  17. shower — to wash
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. race — the arms race
  20. cold — not warm
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. race — a contest
  24. rule — a law

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