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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: straw · race · mouse · foot · staff · kick

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. kick — in football
  5. race — the arms race
  6. race — a contest
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. staff — a stick
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. staff — employees
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — a measure
  17. race — humankind
  18. staff — employees

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