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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: race · ball · mug · fork · nail · stand · cell · bay

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. race — a contest
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mug — to rob
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. race — the arms race
  9. cell — a phone
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. mug — a face
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mug — a cup
  15. stand — to bear
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. ball — a dance
  18. cell — in biology
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. race — humankind
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. fork — in a road

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