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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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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: ruler · march · bay · kid · net · jam · chest · track

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. track — a path
  3. track — a song
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. chest — a box
  8. kid — child
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. kid — to tease
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. chest — of your body
  15. net — after costs
  16. march — the month
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. net — for catching
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. net — in sport

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