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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. race — humankind
  5. rash — hasty
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. rash — a series
  9. sharp — clever
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. race — a contest
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mate — a friend
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. pit — a hole
  24. race — the arms race

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