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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: club · jam · pitcher · track · object · bound · mine · roll

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mine — for digging
  3. track — a song
  4. roll — a list
  5. object — a thing
  6. club — for golf
  7. bound — certain
  8. track — a path
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. roll — a cake
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. object — an aim
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bound — tied together
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. club — a group
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. object — to protest
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — to keep track

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