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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · track · cell · drill · present · calf

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. drill — a practice
  3. club — a group
  4. drill — the tool
  5. track — to keep track
  6. club — for golf
  7. track — a path
  8. club — for dancing
  9. present — the time now
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. track — a song
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cell — in biology
  15. cell — a phone
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. present — there
  18. drill — army training

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