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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: ground · lash · bat · roll · fork · firm · rest · race

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. race — humankind
  5. ground — the earth
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ground — a position
  8. bat — the animal
  9. firm — steady
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rest — what's left
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. race — a contest
  16. firm — decided
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. ground — crushed
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. race — the arms race
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. firm — a company
  24. fork — to eat with

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