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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 116 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. race — humankind
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. race — a contest
  8. land — to come down
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. branch — a division
  14. race — the arms race
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rush — hurry
  24. fork — in a road

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