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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. fall — the season
  3. rush — hurry
  4. track — to keep track
  5. fall — to drop
  6. club — a group
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. track — a song
  16. cell — in biology
  17. track — a path
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. fall — to drop
  21. mark — a grade
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cell — a phone
  24. wake — a trail

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