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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. race — the arms race
  8. dip — to sink
  9. chip — to eat
  10. race — a contest
  11. track — a song
  12. chip — for betting
  13. track — a path
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. hand — in cards
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. race — humankind
  24. track — to keep track

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