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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: pit · spell · rule · content · race · branch · plane · row

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. pit — in a race
  3. race — humankind
  4. content — the amount
  5. race — the arms race
  6. content — happy
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rule — a law
  10. pit — a hole
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. spell — letters
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. plane — a tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. row — a line
  18. rule — government
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. spell — a short time
  21. race — a contest
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. row — a quarrel

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