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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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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: race · hand · chip · mouse · club · stand · pop · dip

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. race — a contest
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pop — music
  5. chip — to eat
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. race — the arms race
  9. stand — to bear
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pop — soda
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. club — a group
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. hand — help
  19. chip — for betting
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. club — for dancing
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. club — for golf

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