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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: bay · track · club · safe · pit · tear · rest · wound

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — a path
  8. pit — in a race
  9. tear — from crying
  10. club — for golf
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. rest — a break
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. club — for dancing
  19. track — a song
  20. pit — a hole
  21. tear — to rip
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. tear — from crying

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