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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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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: straw · rash · foot · ground · lean · key · track · jam

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. key — for a lock
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a song
  10. foot — a measure
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. ground — a position
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lean — thin
  16. rash — a series
  17. ground — crushed
  18. track — a path
  19. key — in music
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. key — the most important part
  24. lean — to bend

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