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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 116 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: fork · race · game · cell · tube · mark · chip · pass

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. race — humankind
  11. chip — for betting
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — a grade
  14. tube — the underground
  15. cell — a phone
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. race — a contest
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. tube — a container
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pass — a permit
  24. cell — in biology

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