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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. club — for dancing
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. last — finally
  6. club — for golf
  7. scale — size or range
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. staff — employees
  10. key — in music
  11. scale — in music
  12. last — to go on
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — a short time
  15. staff — employees
  16. track — a path
  17. craft — boats
  18. club — a group
  19. key — for a lock
  20. staff — a stick
  21. key — the most important part
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. last — final
  24. craft — a skill

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