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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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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 · foot · scale · pop · straw · rule · dip · mouse

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. race — the arms race
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pop — soda
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. pop — to visit
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. race — humankind
  10. rule — government
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. race — a contest
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. scale — size or range
  15. dip — to sink
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. pop — music
  23. foot — a measure
  24. scale — in music

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