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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 · chest · squash · chip · mine · rock · firm · board

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. board — to get on
  6. firm — decided
  7. squash — the sport
  8. chip — for betting
  9. mine — for digging
  10. race — a contest
  11. firm — a company
  12. rock — music
  13. rock — a stone
  14. race — the arms race
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. squash — to crush
  18. board — a committee
  19. chest — of your body
  20. firm — steady
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — to eat

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