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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: track · racket · race · march · wind · cabinet

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. track — a path
  5. march — music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. race — humankind
  8. track — to keep track
  9. wind — moving air
  10. race — the arms race
  11. track — a song
  12. march — the month
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. race — a contest
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. wind — moving air
  18. march — the month

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