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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: wind · fine · march · game · racket · board · pop · track

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — moving air
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pop — music
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — all right
  11. pop — soda
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pop — to visit
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. wind — moving air
  17. track — a song
  18. march — the month
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. track — a path
  23. march — the month
  24. fine — high quality

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