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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. season — of the year
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. swing — music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. field — farmland
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. field — for sport
  11. spell — magic
  12. spell — letters
  13. key — in music
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. swing — to play on
  16. season — in sport
  17. swing — in golf
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. spell — a short time
  21. key — the most important part
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. field — a subject

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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