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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: march · race · can · pass · ball · mouse · spring · snap

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. can — a tin
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. march — the month
  7. ball — a dance
  8. race — a contest
  9. race — humankind
  10. snap — to click
  11. spring — of water
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. pass — a permit
  16. can — a tin
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. race — the arms race
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. ball — a great time

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