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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: racket · spring · land · cap · pit · race · chip · mark

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. chip — for betting
  3. chip — to eat
  4. land — to come down
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. race — humankind
  8. cap — a hat
  9. spring — of water
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. race — a contest
  12. cap — of ice
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pit — in a race
  16. land — ground
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cap — a lid
  19. spring — the season
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. race — the arms race
  22. land — a country
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pit — a hole

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