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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: race · net · rest · firm · rash · fork · squash · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. race — the arms race
  4. rest — a break
  5. race — a contest
  6. net — after costs
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. race — humankind
  9. firm — steady
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. fork — in a road
  13. net — for catching
  14. firm — a company
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rest — what's left
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. firm — decided
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rash — a series
  23. net — in sport
  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