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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: racket · straw · last · fork · track · pitcher · scale · rest

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. last — to go on
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. last — final
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. rest — a break
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. track — to keep track
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. last — finally
  14. scale — in music
  15. rest — what's left
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. rest — what's left
  18. track — a path
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. scale — size or range
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. track — a song

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