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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: race · pop · stick · squash · fork · season · last · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. race — humankind
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. race — a contest
  7. last — final
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. last — finally
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. season — of the year
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pop — to visit
  14. season — in sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. race — the arms race
  21. last — to go on
  22. pop — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. squash — the sport

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