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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: rash · shower · foot · race · bat · key · ground · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rash — a series
  3. ground — crushed
  4. key — for a lock
  5. shower — rain
  6. race — a contest
  7. fork — in a road
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. key — in music
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. rash — hasty
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — humankind
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. ground — a position
  20. key — the most important part
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. ground — the earth

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