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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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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: last · mouse · pop · roll · mug · bat · race · leaves

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. roll — a list
  3. mug — a face
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. bat — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. last — finally
  9. race — a contest
  10. pop — music
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. last — to go on
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pop — soda
  17. mug — a cup
  18. race — humankind
  19. roll — a cake
  20. last — final
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. mug — to rob

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