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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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Word bank
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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: drill · race · tube · jam · board · fork · land · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. race — a contest
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. land — ground
  6. race — the arms race
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. object — a thing
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. drill — army training
  11. race — humankind
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. tube — a container
  15. land — a country
  16. drill — a practice
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. tube — the underground
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. land — to come down
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. object — to protest
  24. drill — the tool

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