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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: cabinet · track · wind · face · fork · mouse · game · key

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. key — in music
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. face — to point toward
  10. key — the most important part
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. key — for a lock
  14. track — a path
  15. face — to confront
  16. game — a match
  17. track — a song
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. face — part of the head
  24. fork — in a road

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