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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
468
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: rest · object · mouse · content · bound · net · race · pop

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. object — an aim
  3. rest — what's left
  4. object — a thing
  5. rest — a break
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. content — happy
  8. bound — tied together
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — soda
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. content — the amount
  13. bound — obliged
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. race — humankind
  18. object — to protest
  19. bound — certain
  20. rest — what's left
  21. net — after costs
  22. pop — music
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. race — the arms race

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