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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: file · track · rock · wave · pitcher · club · content · ball

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. club — for golf
  3. track — to keep track
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a great time
  6. file — a document
  7. track — a path
  8. track — a song
  9. file — a tool
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. file — a line of people
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rock — music
  19. club — for dancing
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. club — a group
  24. wave — with your hand

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