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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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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 · drill · game · cap · safe · club · land · branch

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. track — to keep track
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. club — for golf
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. drill — a practice
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. branch — a division
  13. cap — a hat
  14. track — a path
  15. club — for dancing
  16. land — a country
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. track — a song
  23. club — a group
  24. branch — of a tree

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