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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: land · patient · track · club · kid · pit · jam · last

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. track — a path
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. club — for dancing
  6. kid — child
  7. club — for golf
  8. land — to come down
  9. track — to keep track
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. club — a group
  12. last — final
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. land — a country
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. land — ground
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. kid — to tease
  20. last — to go on
  21. track — a song
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. last — finally

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