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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: march · track · fork · racket · bat · mark · stock · ruler

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. 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. mark — a grade
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. march — the month
  4. track — a song
  5. stock — shares
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mark — a trace
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. stock — goods
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. bat — the animal
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fork — in a road
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. 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