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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: march · track · root · content · net · rash · mate · jam

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. root — the cause
  4. track — a path
  5. mate — a partner
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rash — a series
  9. mate — a friend
  10. march — the month
  11. content — the amount
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. march — music
  14. rash — hasty
  15. net — for catching
  16. march — the month
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. net — in sport
  19. root — of a plant
  20. net — after costs
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. root — of a word
  24. content — happy

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