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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: date · rock · rash · racket · march · bat

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. date — the fruit
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — hasty
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rock — music
  9. march — music
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. rash — a series
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bat — for baseball

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