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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: branch · coach · march · bat · track · last · pass · arm

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. track — to keep track
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. last — to go on
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. last — finally
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bat — the animal
  15. branch — a division
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. track — a path
  18. last — final
  19. march — music
  20. pass — a permit
  21. track — a song
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. coach — a trainer

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