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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: chair · mine · ground · nail · track · season · lash · craft

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ground — crushed
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. track — a path
  9. craft — boats
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. ground — a position
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — a skill
  17. ground — the earth
  18. season — of the year
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. chair — a leader
  23. season — in sport
  24. track — a song

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