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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: rash · pop · race · season · current · land · scale · can

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. land — ground
  3. can — a tin
  4. current — happening now
  5. land — a country
  6. current — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. scale — size or range
  11. season — in sport
  12. rash — hasty
  13. race — a contest
  14. pop — soda
  15. scale — in music
  16. pop — to visit
  17. season — of the year
  18. race — the arms race
  19. can — a tin
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. can — to be able to
  22. rash — a series
  23. race — humankind
  24. land — to come down

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