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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: racket · bay · nail · chip · race · land · mate · pitcher

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — a country
  4. race — the arms race
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. chip — for betting
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. land — ground
  9. race — humankind
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. chip — to eat
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. mate — to breed

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