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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: mouse · chest · bay · last · race · fine · deal · swing

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. race — a contest
  6. fine — all right
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. last — final
  10. swing — music
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. chest — a box
  13. last — to go on
  14. chest — of your body
  15. swing — in golf
  16. fine — high quality
  17. last — finally
  18. race — the arms race
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. race — humankind
  24. chest — of your body

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