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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: content · bay · race · drill · track · lie · last · kick

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. kick — in football
  4. content — the amount
  5. drill — army training
  6. race — the arms race
  7. track — to keep track
  8. race — humankind
  9. track — a path
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. last — final
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. lie — to recline
  16. content — happy
  17. drill — a practice
  18. race — a contest
  19. track — a song
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. last — to go on
  23. drill — the tool
  24. content — videos and posts

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