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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: last · saw · fork · object · court · nail · bank · race

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. object — an aim
  4. last — final
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bank — of a river
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — a thing
  12. last — to go on
  13. bank — for money
  14. race — a contest
  15. court — of a king
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bank — for money
  18. race — the arms race
  19. last — finally
  20. race — humankind
  21. saw — the tool
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. nail — for a hammer

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