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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: roll · race · snap · straw · object · rash · chip · key

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. key — the most important part
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. chip — for betting
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. key — in music
  10. object — to protest
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. object — an aim
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. chip — to eat
  16. race — a contest
  17. rash — a series
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. object — a thing
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. key — for a lock
  24. roll — a cake

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