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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bank — for money
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a tool
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bank — for money
  12. key — for a lock
  13. charge — electricity
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. wind — moving air
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. key — in music
  20. craft — boats
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bank — of a river
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. key — the most important part

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