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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: race · season · content · dip · foot · last · court · branch

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. season — of the year
  4. dip — to sink
  5. court — for sport
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. court — of a king
  10. season — in sport
  11. race — a contest
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. content — the amount
  15. foot — a measure
  16. court — of law
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — the arms race
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. content — happy
  22. branch — a division
  23. last — to go on
  24. last — finally

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