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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: key · track · craft · game · rush · cold · coach · hand

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. key — in music
  3. track — to keep track
  4. game — a match
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. rush — hurry
  8. craft — boats
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. track — a song
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. cold — not warm
  15. craft — a skill
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cold — an illness
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. track — a path

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