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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: bowl · pitcher · band · current · game · club · track · last

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. last — to go on
  5. current — of water
  6. track — a path
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. track — to keep track
  9. band — a ring
  10. current — electric
  11. band — a music group
  12. last — finally
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. game — a match
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. club — for dancing
  21. current — happening now
  22. track — a song
  23. last — final
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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