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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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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: mine · race · court · bowl · wave · drill · chip · pop

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mine — for digging
  6. race — humankind
  7. race — a contest
  8. drill — army training
  9. court — of a king
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pop — to visit
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. court — of law
  19. chip — for betting
  20. court — for sport
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. mine — an explosive

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