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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. craft — boats
  3. squash — to crush
  4. track — a song
  5. staff — employees
  6. craft — a skill
  7. chip — for betting
  8. staff — employees
  9. staff — a stick
  10. last — finally
  11. track — to keep track
  12. key — for a lock
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. last — final
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bat — the animal
  20. squash — the sport
  21. key — in music
  22. track — a path
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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