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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: toast · current · row · mouse · clip · rash · kid · drill

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. rash — a series
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. row — a line
  5. drill — army training
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. current — happening now
  8. clip — to cut
  9. clip — a video
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. kid — child
  13. clip — for paper
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — to paddle
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. kid — to tease
  18. current — of water
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. current — electric
  22. rash — hasty
  23. drill — a practice
  24. toast — bread

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