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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: pitcher · club · fine · hand · perch · track · drill · leaves

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. club — a group
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. track — a song
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. perch — the fish
  11. club — for golf
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. track — to keep track
  15. hand — help
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. fine — high quality
  21. track — a path
  22. fine — all right
  23. club — for dancing
  24. pitcher — a jug

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