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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: kick · march · roll · ball · cap · rest · race · wake

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. march — music
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. roll — a cake
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. wake — a trail
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. race — humankind
  12. ball — a dance
  13. race — a contest
  14. march — the month
  15. kick — in football
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. race — the arms race
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a lid
  20. march — the month
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. roll — a list
  24. rest — a break

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