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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: bay · rash · race · drill · content · suit · last · ground

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. last — to go on
  3. suit — to fit
  4. race — a contest
  5. race — humankind
  6. rash — hasty
  7. ground — the earth
  8. suit — in cards
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. content — the amount
  11. race — the arms race
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. ground — crushed
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. drill — army training
  18. ground — a position
  19. drill — a practice
  20. suit — clothes
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. content — happy

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