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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: root · pop · march · rush · racket · snap · last · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. last — final
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. pop — music
  11. rush — hurry
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. root — of a plant
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. march — the month
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. march — the month
  18. rock — a stone
  19. root — the cause
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. pop — soda
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. root — of a word
  24. march — music

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