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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
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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: wound · tear · game · chip · pop · ball · race · bulb

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. wound — an injury
  3. ball — a great time
  4. race — a contest
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bulb — for light
  8. tear — from crying
  9. race — humankind
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. race — the arms race
  13. bulb — for light
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. game — wild animals
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. game — a match
  24. tear — to rip

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