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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 120 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: pit · fork · race · land · pitcher · bore · craft · arm

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. race — the arms race
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pit — a hole
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. land — to come down
  16. bore — to tire
  17. craft — a skill
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. craft — boats
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pit — in a race
  23. race — a contest
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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