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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: last · wound · chip · mouse · mark · bulb · kid · rest

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. rest — what's left
  3. kid — child
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. last — finally
  12. chip — to eat
  13. mark — a trace
  14. last — to go on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bulb — for light
  17. chip — for betting
  18. last — final
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rest — a break
  24. bulb — of a plant

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