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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: kid · track · dip · march · temple · last

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. track — a path
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. last — final
  5. track — to keep track
  6. last — finally
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. march — the month
  10. track — a song
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. last — to go on
  14. march — the month
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kid — to tease
  17. dip — to sink
  18. kid — child

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