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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. fine — all right
  6. craft — a skill
  7. key — for a lock
  8. craft — boats
  9. pit — a hole
  10. board — a committee
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pit — in a race
  16. file — a document
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. board — to get on
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. file — a tool
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. key — in music
  24. craft — a handicraft

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