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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. rock — a stone
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rest — what's left
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. tear — from crying
  8. club — for dancing
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. track — a path
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rest — a break
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. club — a group
  18. degree — temperature
  19. rest — what's left
  20. degree — from a university
  21. kid — child
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rock — music
  24. degree — an amount

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