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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · land · mug · kick · bat · track · club · chair

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. track — a song
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mug — a face
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. club — for golf
  7. field — farmland
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. land — to come down
  10. bat — the animal
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. land — ground
  13. track — a path
  14. kick — in football
  15. land — a country
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. mug — to rob
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. field — for sport
  20. mug — a cup
  21. club — for dancing
  22. field — a subject
  23. track — to keep track
  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