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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: chip · mine · lean · hand · can · game · race · deal

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. race — a contest
  4. can — to be able to
  5. mine — for digging
  6. lean — to bend
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. hand — in cards
  10. chip — to eat
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. can — a tin
  14. race — humankind
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. lean — thin
  18. hand — help
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. race — the arms race
  22. chip — for betting
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. can — a tin

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