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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: race · rash · chair · trunk · bass · march · board · pop

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. race — the arms race
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — hasty
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. race — humankind
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pop — music
  15. board — a committee
  16. chair — a leader
  17. race — a contest
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. board — to get on
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pop — soda
  23. rash — a series
  24. pop — to visit

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