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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: land · jam · ball · race · rash · stick · fork · rush

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. race — the arms race
  3. land — to come down
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ball — a dance
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. race — a contest
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. land — a country
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. race — humankind
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rush — hurry
  20. land — ground
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. rash — a series
  23. fork — in a road
  24. jam — a tight spot

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