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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. date — the fruit
  3. squash — to crush
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. band — a ring
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. court — for sport
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. race — the arms race
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. squash — the sport
  15. court — of law
  16. chip — to eat
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. race — a contest
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. court — of a king
  22. stem — to come from
  23. band — a music group
  24. race — humankind

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