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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. race — a contest
  5. staff — employees
  6. race — the arms race
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mine — for digging
  10. race — humankind
  11. tube — a container
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. staff — employees
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. squash — to crush
  19. chip — to eat
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. tube — the underground

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