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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: cap · rush · drill · racket · rock · sharp · race · spell

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. spell — letters
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. rush — hurry
  10. race — the arms race
  11. spell — magic
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — a contest
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. drill — the tool
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rock — a stone
  21. spell — a short time
  22. drill — army training
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. rock — music

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