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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: club · staff · snap · race · spring · racket · foot · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. staff — employees
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. foot — a measure
  10. race — the arms race
  11. staff — employees
  12. spring — the season
  13. race — a contest
  14. club — for golf
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. club — a group
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. race — humankind
  21. snap — to click
  22. staff — a stick
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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