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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: root · race · court · hand · mug · kid · chip · scale

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. chip — to eat
  3. root — of a plant
  4. root — of a word
  5. court — for sport
  6. hand — help
  7. root — the cause
  8. race — the arms race
  9. kid — child
  10. court — of a king
  11. mug — to rob
  12. race — a contest
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — a cup
  15. scale — in music
  16. race — humankind
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. kid — to tease
  19. hand — in cards
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. court — of law
  23. scale — size or range
  24. hand — part of the body

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