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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: nail · race · fine · pitcher · season · rest · content · swing

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. content — the amount
  4. rest — a break
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fine — high quality
  7. season — in sport
  8. race — humankind
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. race — a contest
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. fine — all right
  14. race — the arms race
  15. rest — what's left
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. swing — music
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — to play on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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