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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · shower · racket · bass · saw · present · race

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. present — there
  3. race — humankind
  4. present — the time now
  5. bass — low music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. saw — the tool
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. bass — the fish
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bound — certain
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. present — a gift
  17. race — a contest
  18. bound — obliged
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. race — the arms race
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bound — tied together
  24. shower — rain

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