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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: suit · track · pound · kid · game · branch · pitcher · swing

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. suit — clothes
  6. game — a match
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. branch — a division
  12. suit — to fit
  13. kid — child
  14. pound — a weight
  15. swing — in golf
  16. track — a path
  17. kid — to tease
  18. game — wild animals
  19. suit — in cards
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. track — a song

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