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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: key · pop · kick · last · craft · field · rest · wake

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. pop — music
  3. rest — a break
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. key — the most important part
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — in football
  9. craft — boats
  10. field — farmland
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. key — for a lock
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pop — to visit
  19. field — for sport
  20. key — in music
  21. rest — what's left
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pop — soda
  24. craft — a skill

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