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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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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 · race · mate · arm · chair · fork · rock · pound

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. mate — a friend
  4. race — the arms race
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. mate — a partner
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. race — humankind
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. race — a contest
  16. pound — a weight
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rock — a stone
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. chair — a leader
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. mate — to breed

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