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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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Word bank
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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: bay · race · racket · drill · chest · chip

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. race — a contest
  4. drill — the tool
  5. chip — for betting
  6. race — the arms race
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chip — to eat
  9. drill — army training
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chest — of your body
  17. race — humankind
  18. chest — a box

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