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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: deal · ball · clip · wake · file · track · race · craft

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. clip — to cut
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a tool
  5. track — a path
  6. race — the arms race
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. track — a song
  10. clip — for paper
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. craft — boats
  13. clip — a video
  14. file — a document
  15. race — humankind
  16. ball — a dance
  17. deal — to handle
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. track — to keep track
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. ball — a great time
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. race — a contest
  24. deal — an agreement

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