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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: mine · wound · rule · race · mark · chip · court · key

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. wound — an injury
  7. mine — for digging
  8. race — humankind
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. court — for sport
  13. mark — a trace
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. key — in music
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — government
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wound — an injury
  20. court — of law
  21. race — a contest
  22. court — of a king
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. mine — an explosive

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