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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: squash · content · march · date · track · plane · bay · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. track — a path
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. ground — the earth
  6. squash — to crush
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. march — the month
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. ground — crushed
  12. date — the fruit
  13. march — music
  14. content — happy
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. track — a song
  18. plane — a tool
  19. track — to keep track
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. content — the amount
  22. squash — the sport
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. march — the month

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