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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 116 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: mate · race · saw · chip · land · stick · kid · plane

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. land — to come down
  4. mate — a partner
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. saw — the tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. chip — to eat
  12. race — a contest
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. kid — to tease
  15. race — the arms race
  16. land — a country
  17. race — humankind
  18. mate — to breed
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. mate — a friend
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. land — ground
  24. saw — the tool

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