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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. craft — a skill
  5. key — the most important part
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. game — a match
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. key — in music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. lie — to recline
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. track — a song
  23. game — wild animals
  24. key — for a lock

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