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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: chair · board · rush · race · squash · chip · arm · bound

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. chair — a leader
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. squash — the sport
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. chip — for betting
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. rush — hurry
  13. board — to get on
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. board — a committee
  16. race — a contest
  17. bound — tied together
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bound — certain
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bound — obliged
  22. race — humankind
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. squash — to crush

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