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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: object · mark · march · bat · stick · jam

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mark — a trace
  6. march — music
  7. object — to protest
  8. bat — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. object — an aim
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. object — a thing
  18. jam — a tight spot

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