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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: content · hand · race · ball · bound · land · lie · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. hand — help
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. land — ground
  7. bound — certain
  8. ball — a dance
  9. race — a contest
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. lie — to recline
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. land — to come down
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. content — the amount
  21. land — a country
  22. bound — tied together
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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