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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: lash · race · deal · ground · pop · chip · safe · last

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. pop — to visit
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. race — humankind
  6. pop — music
  7. ground — the earth
  8. last — to go on
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. last — final
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. chip — to eat
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. ground — crushed
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. deal — to handle
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. ground — a position
  23. last — finally
  24. pop — soda

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