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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: game · racket · band · mouse · ground · race · object · chip

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. chip — to eat
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. band — a ring
  7. ground — the earth
  8. object — an aim
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. game — a match
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. race — a contest
  14. game — wild animals
  15. band — a music group
  16. object — a thing
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chip — for betting
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. race — the arms race
  21. object — to protest
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. race — humankind
  24. racket — for tennis

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