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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. season — of the year
  3. last — finally
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. key — for a lock
  7. track — a path
  8. ball — a dance
  9. key — the most important part
  10. board — to get on
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. board — a committee
  13. fork — in a road
  14. ball — a great time
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. last — to go on
  17. track — to keep track
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. last — final
  20. chip — for betting
  21. chip — to eat
  22. track — a song
  23. key — in music
  24. season — in sport

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