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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. race — a contest
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. pitch — completely
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. row — a line
  14. mark — a trace
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. mark — a grade
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. game — a match
  22. row — to paddle
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. lash — to lash out

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