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

Word bank: swing · race · content · wind · fall · rock

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fall — the season
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. swing — in golf
  5. rock — a stone
  6. race — the arms race
  7. content — happy
  8. wind — moving air
  9. fall — to drop
  10. swing — music
  11. rock — music
  12. race — a contest
  13. wind — moving air
  14. race — humankind
  15. swing — to play on
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. fall — to drop

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