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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. last — finally
  3. last — final
  4. craft — boats
  5. fork — in a road
  6. key — the most important part
  7. key — for a lock
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. ball — a dance
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. face — part of the head
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. ball — a great time
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. key — in music
  18. game — wild animals
  19. craft — a skill
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. last — to go on

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