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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 116 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: spell · field · march · net · track · club · bat · stock

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. spell — magic
  3. track — to keep track
  4. net — in sport
  5. spell — a short time
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. march — the month
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. club — for dancing
  12. track — a song
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — goods
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. field — farmland
  17. march — music
  18. track — a path
  19. field — a subject
  20. march — the month
  21. field — for sport
  22. stock — shares
  23. club — for golf
  24. spell — letters

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