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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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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 · snap · toast · rash · cold · pit · club · mark

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. track — a path
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pit — a hole
  5. track — a song
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. snap — to click
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. club — for dancing
  11. rash — hasty
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. mark — a trace
  14. cold — not warm
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. toast — bread
  17. rash — a series
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. club — a group
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. mark — a grade

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