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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: mouse · spell · chip · race · band · press

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. race — humankind
  3. chip — to eat
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spell — magic
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. spell — a short time
  9. press — to push
  10. chip — for betting
  11. band — a ring
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. band — a music group
  15. race — a contest
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — newspapers

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