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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: rest · race · chip · kick · mouse · row · lie · roll

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. kick — in football
  6. row — a line
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. lie — to recline
  11. row — to paddle
  12. roll — a cake
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rest — what's left
  15. race — humankind
  16. chip — to eat
  17. race — a contest
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rest — what's left
  21. race — the arms race
  22. rest — a break
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. roll — a list

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