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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 120 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. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — a contest
  4. content — happy
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. cap — a lid
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. drill — army training
  13. cap — of ice
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cap — a hat
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mine — for digging
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. race — humankind
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. drill — a practice
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. squash — the sport

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