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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. race — the arms race
  4. rock — a stone
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. race — a contest
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to bend
  9. race — humankind
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. rock — music
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bound — tied together
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bound — certain
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. content — videos and posts

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