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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · bat · fork · rush · craft · race · suit · staff

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. race — a contest
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. suit — clothes
  5. staff — a stick
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. land — ground
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. suit — to fit
  10. craft — a skill
  11. staff — employees
  12. fork — in a road
  13. race — the arms race
  14. land — to come down
  15. craft — boats
  16. bat — the animal
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. staff — employees
  19. race — humankind
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. suit — in cards
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. land — a country

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