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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: fork · race · tear · pound · season · ball · stand · pass

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. stand — to bear
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pass — a permit
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. race — a contest
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. tear — to rip
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. season — of the year
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. ball — a dance
  15. fork — in a road
  16. season — in sport
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. race — humankind
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. tear — from crying
  21. race — the arms race
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. tear — from crying

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