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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: fine · file · game · hand · prune · club · drill · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. file — a line of people
  3. club — a group
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. game — wild animals
  6. game — a match
  7. hand — help
  8. drill — the tool
  9. track — a path
  10. club — for dancing
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. drill — a practice
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a document
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. club — for golf
  17. prune — to trim
  18. drill — army training
  19. hand — in cards
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — high quality
  23. prune — to trim
  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