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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 116 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: cell · pound · mouse · key · tube · lash · race · march

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. march — music
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. race — the arms race
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. race — humankind
  9. tube — the underground
  10. march — the month
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. cell — in biology
  14. key — the most important part
  15. march — the month
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. key — for a lock
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pound — a weight
  21. race — a contest
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. lash — an eyelash

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