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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: suit · cap · wave · fork · race · row

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. 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. suit — clothes
  2. race — humankind
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. race — a contest
  6. row — a line
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — a lid
  12. row — to paddle
  13. suit — to fit
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. suit — in cards
  17. cap — of ice
  18. 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