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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: roll · track · bound · stick · club · pop · kid · chair

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. club — a group
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bound — tied together
  5. club — for dancing
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pop — soda
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bound — certain
  10. track — a path
  11. kid — child
  12. bound — obliged
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. track — a song
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pop — music
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. club — for golf
  24. roll — a cake

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