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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: rush · fork · board · race · nail · sharp · bowl · pitcher

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. sharp — clever
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. board — to get on
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. board — a committee
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. race — humankind
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. fork — in a road
  23. race — a contest
  24. race — the arms race

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