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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 116 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: spring · race · sharp · suit · fork · bat · bore · pitcher

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. race — the arms race
  3. sharp — clever
  4. suit — in cards
  5. spring — a coil
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. spring — of water
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — to drill
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. fork — in a road
  17. suit — clothes
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. race — a contest
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. race — humankind
  24. pitcher — a jug

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