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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: arm · rush · spell · race · court · band · fork · pitch

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitch — completely
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. race — the arms race
  5. spell — magic
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. spell — a short time
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. band — a music group
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. court — for sport
  16. race — a contest
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. court — of a king
  21. band — a ring
  22. rush — hurry
  23. race — humankind
  24. spell — letters

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