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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 · pop · bark · rush · can · march · roll · racket

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. pop — soda
  4. can — to be able to
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. march — music
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rush — hurry
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. march — the month
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. roll — a cake
  16. race — humankind
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. race — a contest
  19. roll — a list
  20. march — the month
  21. pop — to visit
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. race — the arms race

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