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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 116 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: cell · club · track · bat · bass · field · present · object

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. field — a subject
  4. object — to protest
  5. club — for golf
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. track — a song
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. field — for sport
  11. club — a group
  12. object — a thing
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bass — the fish
  15. track — a path
  16. present — the time now
  17. bass — low music
  18. present — there
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bat — the animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. track — to keep track
  23. club — for dancing
  24. present — a gift

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