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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: net · straw · mark · chip · date · foot · capital · race

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chip — for betting
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — humankind
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. race — a contest
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a grade
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. mark — a trace
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. net — for catching
  19. net — after costs
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. foot — a measure
  23. net — in sport
  24. date — the fruit

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