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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: row · content · coach · rest · race · mark · snap · chip

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. chip — for betting
  6. mark — a trace
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. race — humankind
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. race — a contest
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mark — a grade
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rest — a break
  20. snap — to click
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. row — a line
  23. race — the arms race
  24. chip — to eat

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