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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 120 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: race · cell · mouse · rule · bear · foot

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rule — a law
  6. cell — in biology
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. foot — a measure
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — government
  18. race — humankind

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