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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. saw — the tool
  4. drill — army training
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pass — a permit
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. field — for sport
  11. drill — a practice
  12. field — farmland
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. key — for a lock
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. drill — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. field — a subject
  20. stand — to bear
  21. key — the most important part
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. key — in music
  24. pass — to spend 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