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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. track — a song
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. capital — money
  7. race — a contest
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. capital — a city
  10. race — humankind
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pitch — completely
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. content — happy
  18. track — a path
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. race — the arms race
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. spell — magic
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pitch — a sports field

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