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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: chip · race · wave · can · rash · row · dip · cabinet

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. race — a contest
  3. chip — for betting
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. can — to be able to
  6. rash — a series
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. chip — to eat
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. rash — hasty
  18. row — to paddle
  19. dip — to sink
  20. row — a line
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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