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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 116 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. club — for golf
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. club — a group
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cell — in biology
  8. track — to keep track
  9. wake — a trail
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rock — music
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cell — a phone
  15. track — a song
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. rock — a stone
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mate — to breed
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. saw — the tool

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