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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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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: land · wind · squash · rush · stick · mark · content · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — humankind
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. content — the amount
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. land — ground
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — to crush
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mark — a grade
  19. content — happy
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wind — moving air
  22. race — a contest
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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