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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: key · net · fall · chest · dip · straw · cabinet · stick

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. net — for catching
  3. chest — of your body
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fall — to drop
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. net — after costs
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. net — in sport
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — the season
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. chest — a box
  19. key — for a lock
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. fall — to drop

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