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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 120 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: sharp · march · charge · rash · straw · spring · leaves · race

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. spring — of water
  4. march — the month
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rash — a series
  7. charge — a price
  8. sharp — clever
  9. charge — electricity
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. race — the arms race
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. race — humankind
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. march — music
  17. spring — the season
  18. charge — in control
  19. rash — hasty
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. race — a contest
  24. leaves — to go away

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