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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: last · ball · capital · content · wind · race · branch · stick

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. last — finally
  5. race — humankind
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. content — happy
  8. capital — money
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. ball — a dance
  11. branch — a division
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. capital — a city
  17. content — the amount
  18. race — a contest
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. race — the arms race
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. last — final
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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