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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  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. rock — music
  2. fine — all right
  3. race — a contest
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fine — high quality
  6. race — the arms race
  7. content — happy
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. bank — of a river
  11. content — the amount
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bank — for money
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. rock — a stone
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. race — humankind
  23. fine — a penalty
  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