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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: mark · clip · can · race · craft · roll · rest · rush

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mark — a grade
  3. rest — what's left
  4. clip — for paper
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. mark — a trace
  10. roll — a list
  11. roll — a cake
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. race — the arms race
  15. craft — boats
  16. can — a tin
  17. rush — hurry
  18. race — a contest
  19. craft — a skill
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. clip — to cut
  22. race — humankind
  23. clip — a video
  24. craft — a handicraft

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