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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 120 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: charge · game · chip · row · march · bore · rock · race

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. charge — a price
  3. row — a line
  4. march — music
  5. march — the month
  6. race — humankind
  7. charge — electricity
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. bore — to drill
  11. charge — in control
  12. bore — to tire
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. march — the month
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. rock — music
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. row — to paddle
  23. game — a match
  24. rock — a stone

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