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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: cabinet · season · safe · rush · date · race · fork · pitcher

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. season — of the year
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. race — the arms race
  8. date — the fruit
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. race — humankind
  12. season — in sport
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. race — a contest
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fork — in a road
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rush — hurry

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