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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: pit · bass · rush · bank · march · court · track · lash

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bank — for money
  3. bass — the fish
  4. march — the month
  5. pit — a hole
  6. court — of a king
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. march — the month
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — for sport
  12. march — music
  13. track — a path
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. track — a song
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. bank — of a river
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. rush — hurry
  21. court — of law
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. bass — low music
  24. pit — in a race

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