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

Word bank: fork · race · wind · foot · date · bay

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fork — in a road
  5. foot — a measure
  6. wind — moving air
  7. race — humankind
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. race — the arms race
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. date — the fruit
  13. race — a contest
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. foot — the bottom

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