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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: fork · degree · bat · cabinet · ball · race · staff · bulb

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. staff — a stick
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. race — the arms race
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. degree — from a university
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. staff — employees
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. degree — an amount
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. staff — employees
  19. fork — in a road
  20. degree — temperature
  21. ball — a dance
  22. race — a contest
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. race — humankind

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