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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 · game · racket · rule · fine · bass · chair · kid

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. game — wild animals
  3. chair — a leader
  4. rule — a law
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rule — government
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. race — the arms race
  10. fine — all right
  11. kid — child
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. race — humankind
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bass — low music
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. racket — a loud noise

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