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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: rash · land · race · drill · wax · pop · racket · mate

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pop — music
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mate — to breed
  5. drill — the tool
  6. land — to come down
  7. pop — to visit
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. wax — to grow
  12. land — ground
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. race — humankind
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. race — a contest
  20. drill — army training
  21. land — a country
  22. mate — a partner
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. mate — a friend

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