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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: trunk · rest · fine · race · pass · chest · game · content

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. race — a contest
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. race — humankind
  7. chest — a box
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rest — a break
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. game — a match
  18. rest — what's left
  19. pass — a permit
  20. content — happy
  21. game — wild animals
  22. content — the amount
  23. race — the arms race
  24. game — a kind of play

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