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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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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: rock · cell · wound · object · march · pop · race · swing

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. pop — soda
  3. march — music
  4. cell — in biology
  5. march — the month
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. pop — music
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pop — to visit
  13. object — to protest
  14. swing — music
  15. race — a contest
  16. march — the month
  17. race — humankind
  18. object — an aim
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. object — a thing
  22. cell — a phone
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cell — in a prison

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