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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: march · can · fork · key · wind · pitcher · cell · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  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. race — the arms race
  2. cell — a phone
  3. key — in music
  4. wind — moving air
  5. march — music
  6. race — humankind
  7. key — the most important part
  8. march — the month
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. race — a contest
  16. can — a tin
  17. march — the month
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cell — in biology
  20. wind — moving air
  21. key — for a lock
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. fork — to eat with
  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