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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: cue · mouse · bore · bat · race · rule · kid · face

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. face — part of the head
  3. race — the arms race
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. rule — a law
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cue — a signal
  11. race — a contest
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. rule — government
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. race — humankind
  16. face — to confront
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cue — for pool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. kid — child
  23. cue — a hint
  24. face — to point toward

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