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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · chip · rush · cell · race · stick

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. rush — hurry
  8. cell — in biology
  9. race — a contest
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cell — a phone
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. race — the arms race
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. chip — for betting
  17. race — humankind
  18. cell — in a prison

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