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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: present · lie · race · key · wind · content · fan · season

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. key — in music
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. content — the amount
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. key — the most important part
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. race — the arms race
  11. key — for a lock
  12. wind — moving air
  13. present — the time now
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. race — humankind
  17. season — of the year
  18. present — there
  19. wind — moving air
  20. present — a gift
  21. content — happy
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. season — in sport

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