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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  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 — a contest
  2. sharp — clever
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bound — certain
  6. cap — a lid
  7. race — humankind
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. race — the arms race
  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