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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.

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: date · shower · club · row · season · racket · track · arm

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. shower — rain
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. date — the fruit
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. shower — to wash
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. row — a line
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for golf
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. season — of the year
  21. season — in sport
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. club — for dancing

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