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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 120 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: bowl · fork · lash · stick · squash · race · chair · tube

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. race — a contest
  7. tube — the underground
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. race — humankind
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. chair — a leader
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. fork — in a road
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. tube — a container

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