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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: pop · drill · fine · season · cap · race · rash · wave

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. fine — all right
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. drill — a practice
  8. race — humankind
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. race — a contest
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. rash — a series
  13. drill — army training
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pop — soda
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. pop — to visit
  21. drill — the tool
  22. race — the arms race
  23. cap — a lid
  24. rash — hasty

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