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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: rest · mate · file · track · rock · jam · march · wound

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. track — a path
  5. rest — a break
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. march — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. march — the month
  11. rock — music
  12. march — the month
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rock — a stone
  15. mate — a partner
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. track — a song
  18. file — a document
  19. file — a tool
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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