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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rest — a break
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. saw — the tool
  5. race — humankind
  6. chip — to eat
  7. scale — size or range
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. saw — the tool
  11. chip — for betting
  12. rest — what's left
  13. band — a music group
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rest — what's left
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. kid — child
  21. band — a ring
  22. kid — to tease
  23. scale — in music
  24. chip — in a computer

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