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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: craft · lie · bowl · content · wound · pop · race · board

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. race — humankind
  3. craft — boats
  4. pop — to visit
  5. content — happy
  6. race — a contest
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pop — soda
  9. content — the amount
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. board — a committee
  14. wound — an injury
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. board — to get on
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wound — an injury
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. craft — a skill
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lie — an untruth

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