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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: tear · chip · pass · saw · race · hand · sharp · board

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. tear — from crying
  7. race — a contest
  8. hand — help
  9. tear — to rip
  10. race — the arms race
  11. board — to get on
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pass — a permit
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. board — a committee
  18. race — humankind
  19. sharp — clever
  20. tear — from crying
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. hand — in cards
  23. chip — to eat
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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