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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 120 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: track · craft · sharp · spell · game · wake · dip · key

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. track — a song
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. craft — a skill
  8. game — a match
  9. key — the most important part
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. key — for a lock
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. track — to keep track
  14. game — wild animals
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spell — letters
  17. wake — a trail
  18. track — a path
  19. sharp — clever
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. spell — a short time
  22. dip — to sink
  23. spell — magic
  24. key — in music

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