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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.

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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: current · bat · race · vault · squash · march · bark · racket

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. current — electric
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. race — a contest
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. march — the month
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bat — the animal
  13. march — music
  14. race — humankind
  15. current — happening now
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. vault — a safe
  19. squash — the sport
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. current — of water
  23. march — the month
  24. racket — for tennis

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