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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. race — a contest
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lean — to bend
  5. chip — for betting
  6. charge — in control
  7. race — the arms race
  8. charge — a price
  9. race — humankind
  10. clip — for paper
  11. lean — thin
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. clip — to cut
  15. club — for golf
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. charge — electricity
  23. clip — a video
  24. capital — a city

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