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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: track · last · board · club · roll · wind · suit · chest

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. chest — of your body
  3. club — for dancing
  4. track — to keep track
  5. club — a group
  6. chest — of your body
  7. last — to go on
  8. roll — a cake
  9. suit — to fit
  10. roll — a list
  11. last — final
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. club — for golf
  14. track — a path
  15. last — finally
  16. board — a committee
  17. wind — moving air
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. chest — a box
  20. board — to get on
  21. suit — in cards
  22. suit — clothes
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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