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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 120 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: mate · rash · race · mug · cell · club · kid · fine

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. race — humankind
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. race — a contest
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. kid — to tease
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mug — a face
  14. kid — child
  15. cell — in biology
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. mug — a cup
  19. race — the arms race
  20. rash — a series
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mug — to rob
  23. club — a group
  24. mate — a friend

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