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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. cue — a signal
  6. object — a thing
  7. cue — a hint
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. object — to protest
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. sharp — clever
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. cue — for pool
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. race — a contest
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fork — in a road
  23. object — an aim
  24. sharp — with an edge

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