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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.

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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: wind · rash · bowl · racket · field · game · fork · craft

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. field — a subject
  9. craft — boats
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. craft — a skill
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. game — a match
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — a series
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. racket — for tennis

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