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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: race · pitcher · wound · fork · chair · cue · stock · rash

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. race — a contest
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. cue — a signal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stock — shares
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cue — a hint
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rash — hasty
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. stock — goods
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rash — a series

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