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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: season · key · content · spell · rush · board · race · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. race — humankind
  3. spell — a short time
  4. wound — an injury
  5. season — of the year
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. key — the most important part
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. key — for a lock
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. board — a committee
  12. content — the amount
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. spell — magic
  16. key — in music
  17. content — happy
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. board — to get on
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. season — in sport
  22. race — a contest
  23. spell — letters
  24. rush — hurry

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