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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. track — a path
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. club — for dancing
  7. track — a song
  8. pit — a hole
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ground — the earth
  14. rash — a series
  15. ground — a position
  16. rash — hasty
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stem — to come from
  24. fork — to eat with

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