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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: can · march · pass · rule · mouse · rush · spell · racket

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. can — a tin
  5. spell — magic
  6. rush — hurry
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. can — a tin
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. march — the month
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. spell — a short time
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. march — the month
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. march — music

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