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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. field — a subject
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. key — the most important part
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. key — for a lock
  10. spell — a short time
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. field — farmland
  15. track — to keep track
  16. field — for sport
  17. club — for golf
  18. spell — magic
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. spell — letters
  21. track — a song
  22. key — in music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. track — a path

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