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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: cap · row · stick · march · bowl · race

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. cap — a lid
  6. march — music
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cap — a hat
  11. race — a contest
  12. cap — of ice
  13. row — a line
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — humankind
  16. march — the month
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. row — to paddle

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