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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 · roll · calf · toast · track · band · straw · content

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. track — a path
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. band — a ring
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. track — a song
  8. band — a music group
  9. content — happy
  10. roll — a list
  11. track — to keep track
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. roll — a cake
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. club — for golf
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — videos and posts

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