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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 116 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: club · pitcher · pass · trunk · race · season · content · last

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. club — a group
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. race — a contest
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. race — humankind
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pass — a permit
  15. club — for dancing
  16. content — happy
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. content — the amount
  23. club — for golf
  24. last — finally

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