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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: mouse · suit · arm · bat · mine · roll · sharp · race

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bat — the animal
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. roll — a list
  9. race — humankind
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. suit — clothes
  12. race — the arms race
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. suit — to fit
  20. roll — a cake
  21. mine — for digging
  22. race — a contest
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mouse — the animal

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