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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 · pitch · pitcher · present · fine · track · nail · land

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. land — to come down
  3. track — to keep track
  4. club — for golf
  5. land — a country
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. club — a group
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. present — a gift
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. land — ground
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. track — a song
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. club — for dancing
  22. present — there
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. track — a path

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