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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 120 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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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: rest · club · lie · content · fall · track · stick · racket

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. club — for golf
  6. track — to keep track
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. track — a path
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. content — happy
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. fall — the season
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — to drop
  18. club — a group
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. club — for dancing
  23. lie — to recline
  24. racket — for tennis

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