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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: pitcher · bat · fork · race · sharp · lie · rush · staff

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. staff — employees
  3. lie — to recline
  4. sharp — clever
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. race — the arms race
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. staff — employees
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. bat — the animal
  21. race — humankind
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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