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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: club · bore · wound · sharp · toast · track · jam · pound

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wound — an injury
  3. club — a group
  4. track — a song
  5. bore — to drill
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. track — to keep track
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. club — for golf
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. toast — bread
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. pound — a weight
  21. track — a path
  22. club — for dancing
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. sharp — exactly

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