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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: key · club · pass · track · row · season · field · band

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. track — to keep track
  4. key — for a lock
  5. season — of the year
  6. club — a group
  7. season — in sport
  8. track — a path
  9. row — a line
  10. key — in music
  11. field — a subject
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. key — the most important part
  14. club — for dancing
  15. field — farmland
  16. band — a music group
  17. club — for golf
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pass — a permit
  20. band — a ring
  21. field — for sport
  22. row — to paddle
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. track — a song

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