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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. key — for a lock
  3. craft — boats
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bound — tied together
  6. craft — a skill
  7. bound — certain
  8. row — to paddle
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. key — the most important part
  11. rest — a break
  12. row — a line
  13. game — wild animals
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bound — obliged
  20. file — a line of people
  21. season — of the year
  22. key — in music
  23. game — a match
  24. file — a tool

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