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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: leaves · racket · chip · date · race · cold · ball · fine

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. race — humankind
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. cold — not warm
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fine — all right
  7. chip — for betting
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. chip — to eat
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. race — the arms race
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. ball — a dance
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cold — an illness
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. race — a contest
  21. ball — a great time
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. leaves — lets stay

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