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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: track · ball · game · drill · spring · board · temple · march

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. drill — army training
  3. ball — a great time
  4. track — a song
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. spring — the season
  10. drill — the tool
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — a coil
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. board — a committee
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. board — to get on
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. march — the month
  21. track — a path
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. drill — a practice
  24. game — a match

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