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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: sharp · tear · race · fork · squash · mug · staff · game

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. mug — a cup
  4. tear — from crying
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. race — humankind
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. staff — employees
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. squash — to crush
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fork — in a road
  16. staff — employees
  17. race — a contest
  18. staff — a stick
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a face
  22. squash — the sport
  23. game — a match
  24. tear — to rip

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