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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: content · board · wind · game · drill · lash · mug · race

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mug — to rob
  4. race — humankind
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mug — a cup
  7. board — a committee
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. content — happy
  11. race — the arms race
  12. content — the amount
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mug — a face
  15. drill — a practice
  16. race — a contest
  17. drill — army training
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. wind — moving air
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lash — to lash out

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