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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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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. game — a match
  4. craft — a skill
  5. race — humankind
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. date — the fruit
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. track — to keep track
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. race — a contest
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. key — the most important part
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. key — for a lock
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. race — the arms race
  20. craft — boats
  21. game — wild animals
  22. track — a path
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. key — in music

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