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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: club · track · patient · land · ball · cap · can · row

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. ball — a great time
  3. track — to keep track
  4. row — a line
  5. land — ground
  6. club — for dancing
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. land — a country
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. row — to paddle
  13. can — a tin
  14. club — a group
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cap — of ice
  17. land — to come down
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. club — for golf
  20. ball — a dance
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. can — a tin
  24. cap — a lid

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