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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: pop · race · craft · march · rush · season · nail · capital

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. pop — soda
  3. capital — a city
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. season — in sport
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. craft — a skill
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. pop — music
  16. capital — money
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. pop — to visit
  21. season — of the year
  22. march — the month
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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