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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: mouse · ground · kid · hand · rash · race · cue · wind

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. race — a contest
  4. cue — for pool
  5. hand — in cards
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. ground — a position
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. ground — the earth
  10. race — the arms race
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. cue — a hint
  16. rash — a series
  17. ground — crushed
  18. rash — hasty
  19. wind — moving air
  20. race — humankind
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cue — a signal
  24. hand — help

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