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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: cap · craft · last · track · deal · patient · club · chest

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. craft — a skill
  3. club — a group
  4. chest — of your body
  5. craft — boats
  6. club — for dancing
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. track — to keep track
  9. deal — to handle
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. cap — a lid
  12. chest — of your body
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. chest — a box
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. cap — of ice
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. last — final
  21. last — finally
  22. last — to go on
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. craft — a handicraft

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