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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: spell · drill · rest · snap · last · mouse · shower · race

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. drill — army training
  3. race — the arms race
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rest — what's left
  6. drill — the tool
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. drill — a practice
  12. shower — rain
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. last — to go on
  15. rest — what's left
  16. last — finally
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rest — a break
  19. race — a contest
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. race — humankind
  23. last — final
  24. snap — to click

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