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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: leaves · march · mark · date · file · mate · bound · swing

  1. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. swing — in golf
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. swing — music
  5. mate — to breed
  6. file — a document
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mate — a friend
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bound — obliged
  11. file — a tool
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mark — a trace
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mark — a grade
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. march — the month
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. march — music
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. march — the month
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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