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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: fine · track · pitcher · club · nail · sharp · branch · present

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fine — all right
  3. track — a song
  4. club — for golf
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. track — a path
  9. fine — high quality
  10. club — for dancing
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. branch — a division
  13. present — the time now
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. present — a gift
  21. track — to keep track
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. club — a group

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