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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. coach — a trainer
  2. race — the arms race
  3. land — a country
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. land — ground
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. land — to come down
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bore — to drill
  11. court — for sport
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. chip — for betting
  14. race — a contest
  15. pass — a permit
  16. chip — to eat
  17. kid — child
  18. court — of law
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. kid — to tease
  21. race — humankind
  22. court — of a king
  23. coach — a trainer
  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