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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: current · race · last · fork · object · deal · hand · squash

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. object — an aim
  3. last — to go on
  4. current — happening now
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. squash — the sport
  7. hand — help
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — in a road
  10. race — a contest
  11. last — final
  12. race — the arms race
  13. squash — to crush
  14. last — finally
  15. current — electric
  16. deal — to handle
  17. current — of water
  18. race — humankind
  19. object — to protest
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. object — a thing
  24. fork — a garden 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