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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. key — for a lock
  4. current — happening now
  5. game — wild animals
  6. club — for golf
  7. staff — employees
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bass — low music
  10. hand — in cards
  11. current — electric
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. bass — the fish
  14. game — a match
  15. current — of water
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. staff — a stick
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. hand — help
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. staff — employees
  22. key — in music
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for dancing

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