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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 120 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: hand · club · fork · pitcher · ruler · game · pop · race

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. race — a contest
  3. hand — in cards
  4. club — for dancing
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. club — a group
  7. game — a match
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. club — for golf
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pop — music
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. pop — to visit
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. hand — help
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pop — soda
  24. hand — part of the body

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