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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: race · pound · saw · tear · chip · capital

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. race — the arms race
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. capital — a city
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. race — a contest
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pound — a weight
  14. saw — the tool
  15. capital — money
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat

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