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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: mug · race · bowl · pop · ground · row · chip · sharp

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. chip — to eat
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. mug — to rob
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. row — a line
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. pop — soda
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — for betting
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mug — a cup
  18. ground — a position
  19. mug — a face
  20. pop — to visit
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ground — crushed
  24. sharp — exactly

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