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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: tear · race · chip · object · board · land · net · pit

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. net — in sport
  3. tear — from crying
  4. object — an aim
  5. tear — to rip
  6. race — the arms race
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — for betting
  9. object — to protest
  10. land — to come down
  11. net — for catching
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. object — a thing
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pit — in a race
  16. chip — to eat
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. land — a country
  19. race — humankind
  20. board — a committee
  21. race — a contest
  22. net — after costs
  23. pit — a hole
  24. board — to get on

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