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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: chip · bound · march · toast · bat · track · lean · date

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. bound — tied together
  10. march — the month
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bound — certain
  13. bat — the animal
  14. lean — thin
  15. bound — obliged
  16. march — music
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. track — a song
  19. toast — bread
  20. chip — to eat
  21. march — the month
  22. track — a path
  23. chip — for betting
  24. date — the fruit

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