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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: straw · race · hand · object · pit · lie · chip · cue

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. pit — in a race
  3. object — a thing
  4. race — humankind
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. lie — to recline
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. race — a contest
  10. cue — a signal
  11. hand — help
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. object — an aim
  15. object — to protest
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. hand — in cards
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pit — a hole
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cue — for pool
  24. race — the arms race

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