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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: season · date · fine · track · shower · jam · club · pop

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. club — for golf
  3. pop — music
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. shower — to wash
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. club — for dancing
  9. date — the fruit
  10. track — a song
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. club — a group
  13. pop — soda
  14. season — of the year
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. season — in sport
  17. pop — to visit
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. shower — rain
  20. track — a path
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. track — to keep track
  24. fine — all right

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