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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · nail · file · track · rest · date · season · capital

  1. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. rest — a break
  3. track — a path
  4. file — a tool
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. season — in sport
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — what's left
  10. track — to keep track
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. file — a line of people
  15. club — for golf
  16. capital — money
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. track — a song
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. file — a document
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. club — for dancing
  23. date — the fruit
  24. club — a group

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