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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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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: club · root · key · craft · mine · wind · mate · pitch

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. key — in music
  5. pitch — completely
  6. mate — a partner
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wind — moving air
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. wind — moving air
  14. club — for golf
  15. root — of a word
  16. mate — to breed
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. root — the cause
  20. mine — for digging
  21. club — a group
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. root — of a plant

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