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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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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 · last · race · cap · rush · firm · tear · clip

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — from crying
  4. race — humankind
  5. chip — for betting
  6. tear — to rip
  7. rush — hurry
  8. firm — decided
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. last — final
  11. firm — steady
  12. clip — to cut
  13. last — to go on
  14. firm — a company
  15. clip — for paper
  16. last — finally
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. chip — to eat
  20. race — a contest
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cap — a lid
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. clip — a video

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