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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: bat · bore · fine · hand · club · cabinet · track · coach

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. club — for dancing
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. hand — help
  5. club — for golf
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. bore — to tire
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. track — a path
  15. hand — in cards
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. track — to keep track
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  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