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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. race — a contest
  3. wind — moving air
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. bear — the animal
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. swing — music
  12. pass — a permit
  13. swing — in golf
  14. race — humankind
  15. content — happy
  16. race — the arms race
  17. swing — to play on
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. wind — moving air
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wind — to turn a key

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