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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: ball · race · chip · band · rash · straw · perch · bore

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. rash — hasty
  3. chip — for betting
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. bore — to tire
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ball — a dance
  14. rash — a series
  15. race — humankind
  16. band — a music group
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bore — to drill
  20. band — a ring
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. chip — to eat
  24. race — a contest

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