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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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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 · cell · mouse · rule · bear · foot · kid · hand

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. race — a contest
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rule — government
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. race — humankind
  11. hand — help
  12. kid — child
  13. race — the arms race
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. rule — a law
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cell — in biology

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