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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: nail · fan · rock · game · craft · track · chest · ball

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. track — a path
  3. craft — a skill
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. track — a song
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. chest — a box
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rock — a stone
  20. craft — boats
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. ball — a dance
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ball — a great time

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