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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 · drill · safe · track · spell · content · stock · racket

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. march — music
  3. stock — shares
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. spell — letters
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. drill — the tool
  9. content — happy
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. track — a path
  12. march — the month
  13. spell — a short time
  14. drill — army training
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. spell — magic
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. track — to keep track
  21. drill — a practice
  22. march — the month
  23. content — the amount
  24. track — a song

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