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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: bulb · content · bound · dip · hand · race · nail · chair

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bulb — for light
  5. content — happy
  6. bulb — for light
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. hand — in cards
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. race — the arms race
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bound — tied together
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bound — certain
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. race — a contest
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bound — obliged
  24. race — humankind

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