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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: race · saw · hide · rest · mouse · ball · file · rash

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. rash — a series
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. rash — hasty
  13. race — humankind
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. file — a document
  16. saw — the tool
  17. file — a tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. saw — the tool
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — a contest
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rash — on the skin

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