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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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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: squash · craft · club · land · chip · suit · fork · race

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. race — a contest
  3. land — a country
  4. land — ground
  5. suit — in cards
  6. club — for golf
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. land — to come down
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fork — in a road
  13. race — the arms race
  14. suit — to fit
  15. chip — to eat
  16. suit — clothes
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. chip — for betting
  19. club — a group
  20. squash — to crush
  21. club — for dancing
  22. race — humankind
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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