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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: march · cap · craft · game · lash · pop · last · ruler

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pop — soda
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. cap — a lid
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. pop — to visit
  8. march — the month
  9. cap — of ice
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. march — the month
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. craft — boats
  14. last — final
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pop — music
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. game — a match

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