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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: present · march · racket · land · foot · track · mark · capital

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. march — music
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. land — ground
  8. present — there
  9. present — a gift
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. capital — money
  15. track — a path
  16. mark — a grade
  17. present — the time now
  18. capital — a city
  19. march — the month
  20. march — the month
  21. land — a country
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. mark — a trace
  24. land — to come down

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