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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: race · date · ground · season · firm · chip · perch · content

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chip — for betting
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. firm — a company
  5. content — happy
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. ground — the earth
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. chip — to eat
  10. race — the arms race
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. date — the fruit
  13. firm — steady
  14. ground — crushed
  15. race — a contest
  16. firm — decided
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. race — humankind
  19. content — the amount
  20. ground — a position
  21. season — of the year
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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