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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: stick · bound · ground · fan · race · bear · season · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bear — the animal
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chip — for betting
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ground — a position
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bound — tied together
  13. race — a contest
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. bound — obliged
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bound — certain
  20. season — in sport
  21. ground — the earth
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  24. race — humankind

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