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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 116 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: march · rush · racket · saw · snap · trunk · present · rule

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. rush — hurry
  3. snap — to click
  4. march — music
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. saw — the tool
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rule — government
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — there
  18. march — the month
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. saw — the tool
  21. march — the month
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rule — a law

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