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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: band · content · race · board · foot · season · last · wake

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. band — a ring
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. race — humankind
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. race — the arms race
  7. last — to go on
  8. content — happy
  9. last — final
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. season — of the year
  12. board — a committee
  13. wake — a trail
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. content — the amount
  16. race — a contest
  17. last — finally
  18. band — a music group
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. board — to get on
  21. season — in sport
  22. foot — a measure
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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