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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: fall · march · wind · rush · track · wake · racket · kid

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. kid — child
  5. track — a song
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fall — the season
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wind — moving air
  14. march — music
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wind — moving air
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rush — hurry
  22. fall — to drop
  23. track — a path
  24. fall — to drop

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