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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: bat · track · hand · cap · club · tear · press · mine

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. tear — from crying
  6. hand — help
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bat — the animal
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. hand — in cards
  12. press — to push
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. club — for dancing
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. cap — a hat
  21. club — for golf
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cap — a lid
  24. press — a publisher

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