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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fork · track · season · key · last · rash · tear · nail

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. track — a path
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. rash — hasty
  5. tear — from crying
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. last — finally
  9. track — a song
  10. last — to go on
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. tear — to rip
  13. fork — in a road
  14. key — the most important part
  15. last — final
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. season — in sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. key — for a lock
  20. rash — a series
  21. season — of the year
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. key — in music
  24. nail — on a finger

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