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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: racket · fork · track · safe · pass · march · rash · degree

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. degree — from a university
  4. track — a path
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. track — a song
  7. march — the month
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rash — hasty
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. rash — a series
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. degree — an amount
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. track — to keep track
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. degree — temperature
  22. pass — a permit
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. fork — in a road

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