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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. charge — electricity
  3. can — to be able to
  4. race — humankind
  5. wind — moving air
  6. can — a tin
  7. race — the arms race
  8. content — happy
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. race — a contest
  11. charge — a price
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — music
  17. charge — in control
  18. can — a tin
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wind — moving air
  23. content — the amount
  24. rock — a stone

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