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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: saw · ruler · stick · chair · mouse · foot · straw · key

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. key — the most important part
  5. chair — a leader
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. saw — the tool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. saw — the tool
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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