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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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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: bark · fork · race · scale · ruler · pit · club · mark

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. pit — a hole
  5. club — for golf
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. club — for dancing
  10. race — a contest
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — in a road
  13. scale — in music
  14. race — humankind
  15. club — a group
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. scale — size or range
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mark — a trace

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