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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: degree · tear · race · cold · chest · suit · track · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. race — the arms race
  3. degree — from a university
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. track — a path
  6. suit — clothes
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cold — not warm
  9. chip — to eat
  10. degree — an amount
  11. chest — of your body
  12. race — humankind
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. degree — temperature
  16. suit — to fit
  17. tear — from crying
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. race — a contest
  21. chest — a box
  22. tear — to rip
  23. cold — an illness
  24. suit — in cards

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