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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: race · date · board · game · staff · perch · fork · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. race — humankind
  4. pop — to visit
  5. perch — the fish
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. staff — a stick
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fork — in a road
  10. board — to get on
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. board — a committee
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. game — wild animals
  18. race — the arms race
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. staff — employees
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. staff — employees
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. race — a contest

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