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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: row · season · swing · fine · track · ground · rest · game

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. swing — music
  3. rest — a break
  4. season — of the year
  5. ground — crushed
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. track — a path
  8. ground — the earth
  9. season — in sport
  10. track — to keep track
  11. ground — a position
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. swing — in golf
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. track — a song
  17. rest — what's left
  18. game — a match
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rest — what's left
  21. game — wild animals
  22. swing — to play on
  23. fine — all right
  24. row — a line

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