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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 124 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: chip · lash · mouse · straw · bore · chest · key · dip

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. chest — of your body
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — in music
  11. bore — to tire
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. key — the most important part
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. chip — to eat
  20. chest — a box
  21. bore — to drill
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. dip — to sink
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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