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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: swing · chip · bound · race · ball · staff · wind · pop

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bound — obliged
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pop — music
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a dance
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — employees
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. staff — a stick
  12. race — a contest
  13. bound — tied together
  14. swing — in golf
  15. pop — soda
  16. race — humankind
  17. bound — certain
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. swing — music
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. chip — for betting
  23. swing — to play on
  24. ball — a great time

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