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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: pitcher · fan · rush · row · can · rash · race · foot

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. race — humankind
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. can — to be able to
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. rash — hasty
  10. row — a line
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. race — a contest
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rash — a series
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. foot — a measure
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. row — to paddle
  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