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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. bat — the animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fork — in a road
  10. chip — to eat
  11. rush — hurry
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. key — for a lock
  15. key — in music
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. key — the most important part

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