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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: foot · race · rock · wind · stand · content · spring · game

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. rock — a stone
  3. race — the arms race
  4. race — a contest
  5. content — happy
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. rock — music
  9. content — the amount
  10. spring — of water
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stand — to bear
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wind — moving air
  17. foot — a measure
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. race — humankind
  21. spring — the season
  22. wind — moving air
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. spring — a coil

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