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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: rest · scale · current · racket · date · track · march · bound

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rest — what's left
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rest — a break
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. scale — in music
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. current — electric
  11. scale — size or range
  12. current — of water
  13. march — music
  14. current — happening now
  15. track — a song
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bound — obliged
  18. date — the fruit
  19. march — the month
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bound — tied together
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bound — certain
  24. rest — what's left

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