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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: bank · fork · current · race · object · straw · row · pitch

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. current — happening now
  5. bank — for money
  6. race — a contest
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. object — to protest
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pitch — completely
  13. current — of water
  14. object — an aim
  15. bank — of a river
  16. row — a line
  17. row — to paddle
  18. race — the arms race
  19. object — a thing
  20. current — electric
  21. fork — in a road
  22. race — humankind
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bank — for money

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