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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.

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: roll · date · foot · rush · march · cold · race · bat

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. race — the arms race
  5. race — humankind
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. roll — a list
  8. cold — an illness
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. date — the fruit
  16. roll — a cake
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. march — music
  20. foot — a measure
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. race — a contest
  24. march — the month

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