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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — a contest
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. hand — in cards
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. chip — for betting
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. plane — a tool
  12. clip — for paper
  13. capital — a city
  14. bore — to drill
  15. clip — a video
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bore — to tire
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. mark — a grade
  22. clip — to cut
  23. capital — money
  24. hand — part of the body

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