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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: ball · content · plane · race · coach · pitcher · lash · fork

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. race — humankind
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. race — a contest
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fork — in a road
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ball — a dance
  12. content — the amount
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. content — happy
  17. plane — a tool
  18. race — the arms race
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. ball — a great time
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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