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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 120 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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. key — the most important part
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. face — to point toward
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. key — in music
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. face — to confront
  14. drill — a practice
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. drill — army training
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. face — part of the head
  20. craft — boats
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. drill — the tool

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