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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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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: race · chip · chair · stem · dip · vault · prune · straw

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. chip — for betting
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. chair — a leader
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. dip — to sink
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. vault — a safe
  14. prune — to trim
  15. chip — to eat
  16. prune — to trim
  17. stem — to come from
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chair — a professorship

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