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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: cell · toast · track · march · racket · mine · scale · patient

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. march — music
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. cell — in biology
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — bread
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. march — the month
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cell — a phone
  21. track — a song
  22. mine — for digging
  23. scale — size or range
  24. mine — an explosive

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