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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: date · face · file · jam · cell · mark · march · racket

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. mark — a trace
  3. face — part of the head
  4. march — the month
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a document
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. face — to confront
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. cell — a phone
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. file — a line of people
  18. date — the fruit
  19. march — music
  20. face — to point toward
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mark — to pay attention

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