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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: pound · chip · present · march · cell · dip · craft · race

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. present — there
  6. march — music
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. chip — for betting
  10. present — the time now
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. march — the month
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. cell — a phone
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. race — the arms race
  21. chip — to eat
  22. present — a gift
  23. craft — boats
  24. cell — in biology

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