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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. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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 — for golf
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. track — to keep track
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. date — the fruit
  6. track — a song
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. board — a committee
  9. season — in sport
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. club — a group
  12. present — the time now
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. club — for dancing
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. season — of the year
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. board — to get on
  23. date — on the calendar
  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