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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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bound — certain
  3. scale — size or range
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. track — a song
  6. race — humankind
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. court — of a king
  10. content — happy
  11. rush — hurry
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. bound — tied together
  15. squash — to crush
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. content — the amount
  18. track — to keep track
  19. race — a contest
  20. track — a path
  21. squash — the sport
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bound — obliged

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