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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: race · mark · nail · racket · fork · clip · bat · rush

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. rush — hurry
  10. race — humankind
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. clip — to cut
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a grade
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. race — a contest

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