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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: race · chip · mine · current · object · date · pitch · coach

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. race — a contest
  3. object — a thing
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. current — of water
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. current — electric
  9. chip — to eat
  10. object — an aim
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. date — the fruit
  17. race — humankind
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. object — to protest
  20. pitch — completely
  21. chip — for betting
  22. race — the arms race
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. current — happening now

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