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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: rest · date · cue · content · race · game · bear · chip

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rest — what's left
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. race — humankind
  5. rest — a break
  6. game — wild animals
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. cue — for pool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — to eat
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. date — the fruit
  16. content — happy
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cue — a signal
  20. content — the amount
  21. game — a match
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bear — the animal

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