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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 · track · fine · pop · date · rule · content · staff

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. fine — high quality
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. track — a path
  8. pop — music
  9. fine — all right
  10. content — happy
  11. track — a song
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — employees
  14. march — the month
  15. staff — employees
  16. date — the fruit
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. track — to keep track
  19. content — the amount
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. march — music
  24. fine — a penalty

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