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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: rash · fork · calf · nail · race · stock · bat · jam

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  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. fork — in a road
  2. race — humankind
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. race — the arms race
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. rash — a series
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. race — a contest
  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