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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 116 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: wake · track · chair · club · leaves · last · cue · season

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. club — for golf
  4. wake — a trail
  5. club — a group
  6. last — finally
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cue — a signal
  9. season — in sport
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. season — of the year
  14. last — to go on
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. chair — a leader
  17. last — final
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. track — a song
  20. cue — a hint
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cue — for pool

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