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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: net · key · craft · club · hide · drill · ground · fork

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. key — the most important part
  3. net — after costs
  4. craft — a skill
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. key — for a lock
  7. net — in sport
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. drill — the tool
  11. club — for golf
  12. ground — a position
  13. drill — a practice
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. drill — army training
  17. net — for catching
  18. craft — boats
  19. club — for dancing
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. fork — in a road
  23. key — in music
  24. hide — to keep secret

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