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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wound — an injury
  5. club — a group
  6. branch — a division
  7. track — a song
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rest — a break
  10. file — a line of people
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. track — a path
  16. rest — what's left
  17. club — for dancing
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. wound — an injury
  20. file — a tool
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. file — a document
  23. plane — a tool
  24. rest — what's left

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