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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: fan · stand · hand · straw · ruler · cell · season · key

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. cell — a phone
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. key — for a lock
  6. key — the most important part
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. hand — in cards
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. season — of the year
  15. cell — in biology
  16. season — in sport
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. hand — help
  19. stand — to bear
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. straw — a straw man

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