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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 120 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: net · wound · chip · straw · mine · rock · pitcher · race

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. race — a contest
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. net — for catching
  6. chip — to eat
  7. net — after costs
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. rock — a stone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chip — for betting
  12. net — in sport
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. rock — music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. race — humankind
  22. mine — for digging
  23. wound — an injury
  24. race — the arms race

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