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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 120 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: mate · chip · race · cabinet · face · fine · game · swing

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. chip — to eat
  3. swing — music
  4. fine — all right
  5. game — a match
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. game — wild animals
  8. chip — for betting
  9. race — a contest
  10. race — humankind
  11. face — to confront
  12. swing — to play on
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mate — a friend
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fine — high quality
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. mate — a partner
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mate — to breed
  24. swing — in golf

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