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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: race · tear · date · pop · wake · chip · pound · cap

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wake — a trail
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pop — music
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. race — a contest
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pop — to visit
  9. race — humankind
  10. cap — of ice
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. chip — for betting
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cap — a hat
  17. chip — to eat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. tear — from crying
  22. race — the arms race
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pop — soda

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