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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: drill · field · craft · key · game · track · date · dip

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. craft — boats
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. field — a subject
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. key — the most important part
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. field — farmland
  11. game — a match
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. key — in music
  14. date — the fruit
  15. track — to keep track
  16. drill — the tool
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. dip — to sink
  20. key — for a lock
  21. game — wild animals
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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