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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: object · game · rush · craft · roll · racket · race · season

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. craft — boats
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. roll — a cake
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. object — to protest
  10. roll — a list
  11. game — a match
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. object — an aim
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. race — humankind
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. season — in sport
  18. race — the arms race
  19. season — of the year
  20. object — a thing
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. race — a contest
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. season — to add flavour

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