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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: track · firm · last · season · bay · march · cap · jam

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. cap — of ice
  3. last — to go on
  4. track — a song
  5. march — music
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cap — a lid
  10. march — the month
  11. track — to keep track
  12. firm — steady
  13. last — finally
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. firm — decided
  16. season — of the year
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. season — in sport
  21. track — a path
  22. firm — a company
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. last — final

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