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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 120 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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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: wake · wind · board · content · game · race · bank · pass

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. game — a match
  3. content — happy
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bank — of a river
  7. race — the arms race
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. bank — for money
  12. pass — a permit
  13. board — to get on
  14. wind — moving air
  15. board — a committee
  16. wake — a trail
  17. content — the amount
  18. bank — for money
  19. wind — moving air
  20. race — humankind
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. race — a contest
  24. board — a flat piece

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