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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 · track · rest · pop · craft · land · last · object

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. track — a song
  3. land — ground
  4. pop — soda
  5. last — finally
  6. land — a country
  7. track — a path
  8. key — in music
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. track — to keep track
  11. object — to protest
  12. rest — a break
  13. land — to come down
  14. pop — to visit
  15. object — an aim
  16. rest — what's left
  17. object — a thing
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pop — music
  20. craft — boats
  21. last — to go on
  22. rest — what's left
  23. last — final
  24. key — the most important part

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