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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. plane — a tool
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. race — humankind
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. drill — army training
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pound — a weight
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. squash — the sport
  19. race — a contest
  20. drill — a practice
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. squash — to crush
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rush — a thrill

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