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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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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: net · fork · rest · ruler · object · hand · race · tube

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. hand — in cards
  3. race — the arms race
  4. tube — a container
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. fork — in a road
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. race — humankind
  10. race — a contest
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rest — what's left
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. net — in sport
  18. object — to protest
  19. object — a thing
  20. hand — help
  21. rest — a break
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. object — an aim
  24. tube — the underground

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