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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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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: rock · shower · game · fine · saw · mouse · leaves · race

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rock — music
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. fine — all right
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. shower — rain
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. fine — high quality
  13. race — a contest
  14. saw — the tool
  15. shower — to wash
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rock — a stone
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. race — the arms race
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. saw — the tool
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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