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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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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 · bat · club · stem · racket · cap · track · toast

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. track — a song
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. stem — to come from
  11. club — for dancing
  12. cap — a hat
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. fine — all right
  16. bat — the animal
  17. toast — bread
  18. track — a path
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. track — to keep track
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a lid
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. bat — for 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