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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: ball · lean · leaves · march · row · jam · track · pop

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. row — a line
  4. track — a path
  5. pop — soda
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ball — a dance
  8. lean — to bend
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. lean — thin
  11. row — to paddle
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. march — the month
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pop — music
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. march — music
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. march — the month
  23. pop — to visit
  24. ball — a round shape

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