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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 · mate · content · file · mouse · spell · current · pitcher

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. file — a tool
  3. content — the amount
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mate — to breed
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. race — the arms race
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. current — of water
  17. current — happening now
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. file — a document
  20. mate — a partner
  21. spell — a short time
  22. current — electric
  23. content — happy
  24. race — a contest

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