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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: key · field · straw · snap · saw · suit · bay · lie

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. key — the most important part
  4. suit — in cards
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. field — for sport
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. suit — clothes
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to click
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. key — in music
  14. suit — to fit
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. lie — to recline

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