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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 120 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. clip — for paper
  3. lean — thin
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chip — to eat
  6. chip — for betting
  7. game — a match
  8. race — a contest
  9. fine — all right
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lean — to bend
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. race — humankind
  17. scale — size or range
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. clip — to cut
  21. scale — in music
  22. clip — a video
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fine — high quality

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