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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: march · cell · rule · staff · race · roll · firm · pop

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. roll — on a roll
  2. march — the month
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rule — government
  5. pop — to visit
  6. march — the month
  7. cell — in biology
  8. firm — a company
  9. pop — soda
  10. staff — employees
  11. pop — music
  12. staff — employees
  13. firm — decided
  14. race — a contest
  15. march — music
  16. staff — a stick
  17. roll — a list
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. race — humankind
  20. race — the arms race
  21. firm — steady
  22. roll — a cake
  23. rule — a law
  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