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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: race · ball · rash · cell · firm · bark · march · object

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. race — a contest
  3. firm — decided
  4. rash — a series
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. march — music
  7. object — an aim
  8. race — humankind
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bark — to shout
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ball — a dance
  14. march — the month
  15. firm — steady
  16. race — the arms race
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. march — the month
  19. cell — a phone
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. firm — a company
  22. cell — in biology
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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