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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: present · club · foot · rush · game · track · clip · swing

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. clip — a video
  3. present — the time now
  4. swing — in golf
  5. foot — a measure
  6. present — there
  7. swing — music
  8. clip — to cut
  9. club — for golf
  10. game — wild animals
  11. clip — for paper
  12. present — a gift
  13. club — for dancing
  14. game — a match
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. track — a path
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — hurry
  20. track — a song
  21. swing — to play on
  22. club — a group
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. foot — part of the body

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