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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: pitcher · cell · mug · rock · fork · squash · race · mine

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. race — a contest
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rock — a stone
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. mug — a face
  13. fork — in a road
  14. rock — music
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. race — the arms race
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. race — humankind
  24. mug — to rob

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