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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: race · firm · mouse · squash · file · deal · kick · craft

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. race — humankind
  5. file — a line of people
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. file — a tool
  8. race — a contest
  9. craft — boats
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. craft — a skill
  12. deal — to handle
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. firm — decided
  15. squash — to crush
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. firm — a company
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. file — a document
  20. firm — steady
  21. kick — in football
  22. race — the arms race
  23. squash — the sport
  24. squash — the vegetable

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