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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 116 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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. game — a match
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rash — a series
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. key — in music
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. swing — to play on
  17. game — wild animals
  18. swing — in golf
  19. swing — music
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bat — the animal
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. game — a kind of play

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