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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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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: bear · last · mouse · stock · race · cold · calf · cue

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. last — final
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. race — the arms race
  7. race — humankind
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stock — shares
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. cue — a signal
  14. last — to go on
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. bear — the animal
  18. last — finally
  19. race — a contest
  20. stock — goods
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cue — a hint
  24. calf — a young animal

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