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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: game · press · cap · roll · content · fine · race · object

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. fine — all right
  3. game — a match
  4. cap — a hat
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. content — the amount
  7. cap — of ice
  8. content — happy
  9. roll — a list
  10. cap — a lid
  11. press — newspapers
  12. press — to push
  13. object — an aim
  14. game — wild animals
  15. press — a publisher
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. fine — high quality
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — to protest
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. race — a contest
  23. race — humankind
  24. roll — on a roll

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