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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. last — final
  4. race — the arms race
  5. last — to go on
  6. race — humankind
  7. mine — for digging
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. last — finally
  10. hand — help
  11. chip — to eat
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. kid — child
  17. hand — in cards
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chip — for betting
  21. bank — for money
  22. kid — to tease
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. race — a contest

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