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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. spell — letters
  6. bank — of a river
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bat — the animal
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. last — final
  14. bank — for money
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. spell — magic
  18. race — humankind
  19. fine — all right
  20. last — finally
  21. fine — high quality
  22. last — to go on
  23. content — happy
  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