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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: bound · ball · fork · row · last · march · jam · bat

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. march — music
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. march — the month
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. march — the month
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. fork — in a road
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. last — final
  15. row — to paddle
  16. last — finally
  17. bound — certain
  18. ball — a great time
  19. bound — obliged
  20. last — to go on
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. ball — a dance
  23. bat — the animal
  24. row — a line

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