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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: mark · club · track · suit · mate · cold · chest · jam

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. cold — an illness
  3. suit — in cards
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. suit — clothes
  6. chest — of your body
  7. suit — to fit
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. track — to keep track
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. cold — not warm
  13. track — a song
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. chest — of your body
  17. track — a path
  18. mark — a grade
  19. club — for dancing
  20. mate — a friend
  21. club — a group
  22. mark — a trace
  23. chest — a box
  24. cold — the Cold War

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