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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · straw · staff · key · file · chip

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. staff — a stick
  3. swing — in golf
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. swing — music
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. file — a line of people
  8. key — the most important part
  9. file — a document
  10. staff — employees
  11. key — for a lock
  12. chip — to eat
  13. key — in music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. chip — for betting
  16. staff — employees
  17. file — a tool
  18. chip — in a computer

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