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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. present — a gift
  3. board — a committee
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bank — of a river
  8. race — humankind
  9. kid — to tease
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bank — for money
  13. present — there
  14. kid — child
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. board — to get on
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. race — a contest
  22. present — the time now
  23. content — happy
  24. bank — for money

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