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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. ground — a position
  6. key — the most important part
  7. branch — a division
  8. rush — hurry
  9. court — of law
  10. craft — boats
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. field — a subject
  13. court — for sport
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. court — of a king
  17. field — for sport
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. ground — the earth
  20. field — farmland
  21. wound — an injury
  22. key — for a lock
  23. ground — crushed
  24. wound — an injury

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