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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: sharp · scale · suit · race · content · field · bank · rash

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. rash — hasty
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. content — happy
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. suit — to fit
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. race — humankind
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. content — the amount
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bank — for money
  18. bank — for money
  19. rash — a series
  20. suit — in cards
  21. race — the arms race
  22. suit — clothes
  23. field — for sport
  24. bank — of a river

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