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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. court — for sport
  7. branch — a division
  8. race — the arms race
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. roll — a list
  13. court — of a king
  14. content — happy
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. court — of law
  17. race — a contest
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. race — humankind
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. roll — a cake
  24. deal — to handle

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