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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: mug · press · race · wave · content · ball · craft · last

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. race — a contest
  3. press — a publisher
  4. last — finally
  5. mug — a cup
  6. race — humankind
  7. press — to push
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. mug — to rob
  11. race — the arms race
  12. press — newspapers
  13. content — the amount
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. craft — boats
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mug — a face
  19. last — to go on
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. last — final
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. craft — a skill

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