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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: bat · safe · wind · fork · arm · bound · race · track

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bound — certain
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bound — obliged
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. track — a path
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — the animal
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. wind — moving air
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. race — humankind

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