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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 120 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 · shower · snap · mine · chip · pit · ball · mug

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mug — a face
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pit — a hole
  6. chip — for betting
  7. snap — to click
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pit — in a race
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mine — for digging
  14. ball — a dance
  15. race — a contest
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — to wash
  18. race — humankind
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. race — the arms race
  23. mug — a cup
  24. ball — a great time

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