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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · scale · game · band · swing · bulb · mine · race

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. race — humankind
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. chip — for betting
  7. race — a contest
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bulb — for light
  10. scale — size or range
  11. race — the arms race
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. band — a ring
  15. chip — to eat
  16. scale — in music
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. swing — in golf
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mine — for digging
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. band — a music group
  24. swing — music

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