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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: coach · rash · march · row · bound · press · race · can

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. race — the arms race
  3. can — a tin
  4. press — to push
  5. march — the month
  6. can — a tin
  7. march — music
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bound — certain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. row — a line
  14. march — the month
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bound — tied together
  17. race — a contest
  18. rash — a series
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bound — obliged
  21. row — to paddle
  22. race — humankind
  23. press — a publisher
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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