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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 116 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
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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: straw · spell · shower · mouse · squash · race · plane · bat

  1. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. race — humankind
  5. race — the arms race
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. race — a contest
  10. spell — a short time
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. shower — to wash
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. squash — the sport
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — rain
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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