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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: cap · march · ground · craft · lash · rest · mug · race

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. craft — boats
  3. mug — to rob
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mug — a face
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. cap — a hat
  8. craft — a skill
  9. rest — what's left
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rest — a break
  12. march — the month
  13. ground — crushed
  14. march — the month
  15. rest — what's left
  16. ground — a position
  17. race — the arms race
  18. race — humankind
  19. race — a contest
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. march — music
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. mug — a cup

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