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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: racket · rash · march · lean · jam · cap · stick · chest

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. march — the month
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rash — hasty
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lean — to bend
  15. cap — a lid
  16. chest — a box
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lean — thin
  19. cap — of ice
  20. rash — a series
  21. march — the month
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. march — music
  24. lean — to rest against

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