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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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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. tear — from crying
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — a friend
  8. current — of water
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. current — happening now
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. saw — the tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. saw — the tool
  15. current — electric
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mate — to breed
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. dip — to sink
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. key — the most important part

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