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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. track — a path
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. object — to protest
  6. degree — an amount
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. object — a thing
  9. object — an aim
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. degree — temperature
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. fork — in a road
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cap — of ice
  24. racket — for tennis

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