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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. club — a group
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. craft — a skill
  7. branch — a division
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — for golf
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. row — a line
  14. key — in music
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. craft — boats
  17. fine — all right
  18. fine — high quality
  19. key — for a lock
  20. wake — a trail
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. row — to paddle
  24. branch — of a tree

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