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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · cold · chip · bore · net · arm · mouse · lie

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. chip — for betting
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. chip — to eat
  8. bore — to drill
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. net — for catching
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. cold — not warm
  17. net — in sport
  18. bore — to tire
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. net — after costs

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