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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: race · chair · chip · snap · ball · stand · rash · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. race — a contest
  3. chip — to eat
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. race — humankind
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. ball — a great time
  13. track — a path
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. track — to keep track
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. ball — a dance
  20. race — the arms race
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. snap — to click
  23. rash — a series
  24. ball — a round shape

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