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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. club — a group
  3. pass — a permit
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. track — a path
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fork — in a road
  10. shower — rain
  11. chest — a box
  12. bound — certain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — of your body
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. club — for golf
  20. bound — tied together
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. track — a song
  23. present — there
  24. present — the time now

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