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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. deal — to handle
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. cell — a phone
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cell — in biology
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. key — the most important part
  13. chest — of your body
  14. swing — to play on
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. swing — music
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. key — in music
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. swing — in golf

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