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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. suit — clothes
  6. saw — the tool
  7. suit — in cards
  8. race — a contest
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. race — humankind
  12. ground — crushed
  13. chest — of your body
  14. ground — the earth
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. ground — a position
  19. fork — in a road
  20. chest — a box
  21. saw — the tool
  22. rush — hurry
  23. suit — to fit
  24. race — the arms race

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