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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: craft · game · track · cue · band · file · lean · rash

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. file — a tool
  4. game — a match
  5. craft — boats
  6. game — wild animals
  7. lean — thin
  8. band — a music group
  9. cue — a hint
  10. lean — to bend
  11. cue — for pool
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. rash — hasty
  14. band — a ring
  15. track — a song
  16. file — a document
  17. track — a path
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. craft — a skill
  20. file — a line of people
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. cue — a signal

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