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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: race · chip · mark · cold · bulb · deal · game · saw

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. deal — to handle
  3. race — a contest
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. race — the arms race
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cold — an illness
  9. saw — the tool
  10. game — a match
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cold — not warm
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. chip — for betting
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. race — humankind
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. mark — a grade
  22. chip — to eat
  23. bulb — for light
  24. game — a kind of play

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