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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: jam · race · chip · bear · perch · mouse · last · rule

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. race — the arms race
  3. last — finally
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. race — humankind
  6. last — to go on
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rule — government
  9. chip — for betting
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. perch — the fish
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rule — a law
  15. bear — the animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. race — a contest
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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