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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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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: mate · mouse · hand · race · chip · perch · field · arm

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. mate — to breed
  5. field — a subject
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. hand — help
  8. field — farmland
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. race — the arms race
  12. perch — the fish
  13. race — humankind
  14. chip — for betting
  15. field — for sport
  16. race — a contest
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mate — a partner
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. hand — in cards
  24. chip — to eat

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