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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: chip · mug · season · game · race · hand · squash · rash

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mug — to rob
  3. chip — for betting
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rash — hasty
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. chip — to eat
  8. race — the arms race
  9. season — in sport
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. season — of the year
  14. mug — a cup
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. race — humankind
  17. hand — help
  18. mug — a face
  19. game — wild animals
  20. squash — to crush
  21. game — a match
  22. race — a contest
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. rash — a series

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