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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pit · pound · coach · club · track · press · file · ball

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. press — to push
  3. club — for golf
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. pit — in a race
  6. club — for dancing
  7. track — a song
  8. pound — a weight
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pit — a hole
  11. ball — a dance
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. file — a line of people
  14. press — a publisher
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. club — a group
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. press — newspapers
  24. file — a document

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