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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 · fork · row · object · band · pitcher · rash · saw

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. row — a line
  3. band — a ring
  4. race — humankind
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. row — to paddle
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. band — a music group
  12. object — a thing
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — a series
  17. fork — in a road
  18. race — a contest
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. saw — the tool
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. saw — the tool
  24. race — the arms race

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