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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fine — high quality
  3. club — a group
  4. row — to paddle
  5. field — farmland
  6. sharp — clever
  7. prune — to trim
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. row — a line
  11. field — a subject
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. club — for golf
  16. club — for dancing
  17. field — for sport
  18. track — to keep track
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. fine — all right
  23. track — a path
  24. fine — a penalty

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