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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: bay · rash · racket · shower · track · pit · fork · snap

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. track — a song
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pit — a hole
  9. track — to keep track
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. snap — to click
  13. rash — a series
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. track — a path
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pit — in a race
  24. rash — hasty

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