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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 116 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: game · racket · bowl · bat · spring · race · lash · fork

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. race — a contest
  7. bat — the animal
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. spring — a coil
  10. game — a match
  11. fork — in a road
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. game — wild animals
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. spring — the season
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. spring — of water
  24. race — humankind

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