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

Word bank: bay · snap · bat · mouse · race · charge

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. charge — electricity
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. race — humankind
  9. charge — a price
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. charge — in control
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bat — the animal
  18. snap — to click

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