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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 · drill · pitch · file · ruler · safe · date

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. drill — army training
  4. file — a document
  5. march — the month
  6. date — the fruit
  7. track — a path
  8. file — a tool
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — a practice
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. file — a line of people
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pitch — completely
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. march — the month
  24. pitch — a sports field

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