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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 · deal · bound · cap · dip · game · plane · chip

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. race — humankind
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — a match
  5. cap — of ice
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. cap — a hat
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bound — obliged
  10. race — a contest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bound — certain
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. dip — to sink
  19. plane — a tool
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bound — tied together
  24. plane — in geometry

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