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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for golf
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — the most important part
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. fork — in a road
  9. track — a song
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. foot — a measure
  17. club — for dancing
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. key — in music
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. pitch — completely

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