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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: row · tear · race · mine · jam · cue · racket · mouse

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. cue — a signal
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. race — humankind
  5. row — to paddle
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. tear — from crying
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. cue — a hint
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cue — for pool
  19. tear — to rip
  20. row — a line
  21. race — the arms race
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mine — for digging
  24. race — a contest

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