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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. chip — for betting
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. key — for a lock
  7. spring — of water
  8. craft — boats
  9. key — in music
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. craft — a skill
  14. file — a line of people
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. file — a document
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. file — a tool
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. key — the most important part
  23. chip — to eat
  24. kick — in football

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