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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: kid · cap · saw · mouse · mine · last · race · stick

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. race — humankind
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. cap — a hat
  13. kid — to tease
  14. mine — for digging
  15. saw — the tool
  16. last — final
  17. race — the arms race
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. race — a contest
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. kid — child
  24. cap — of ice

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