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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · bound · race · sharp · stock · toast

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. race — a contest
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stock — goods
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. content — the amount
  9. sharp — clever
  10. stock — shares
  11. bound — obliged
  12. toast — bread
  13. content — happy
  14. bound — certain
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. race — humankind
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. race — the arms race

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