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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: squash · bore · sharp · fork · ground · fine · race · bay

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. ground — a position
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. squash — the sport
  5. race — a contest
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bore — to drill
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. race — the arms race
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. ground — crushed
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. sharp — clever
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. fork — in a road
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. squash — to crush
  23. race — humankind
  24. ground — the earth

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