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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: season · race · racket · drill · fork · fall · net · band

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. race — the arms race
  4. net — in sport
  5. fork — in a road
  6. race — a contest
  7. season — in sport
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. drill — a practice
  10. fall — to drop
  11. season — of the year
  12. band — a music group
  13. net — after costs
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. race — humankind
  18. band — a ring
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. net — for catching
  21. drill — army training
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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