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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 120 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: temple · clip · track · ball · pitcher · club · fine · game

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. fine — high quality
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. ball — a dance
  5. game — a match
  6. track — a path
  7. club — for golf
  8. fine — all right
  9. track — a song
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. club — for dancing
  19. clip — for paper
  20. track — to keep track
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ball — a great time
  24. game — wild animals

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