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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 · date · chair · chip · drill · mug · pound · lie

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chip — to eat
  8. drill — army training
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. drill — the tool
  11. lie — to recline
  12. mug — to rob
  13. race — humankind
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. date — the fruit
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. chip — for betting
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. drill — a practice
  24. date — on the calendar

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