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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: sharp · ball · key · band · spring · file · deal · straw

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. ball — a great time
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. spring — the season
  5. spring — a coil
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. key — the most important part
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. sharp — clever
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. spring — of water
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. band — a ring
  20. ball — a dance
  21. file — a tool
  22. deal — to handle
  23. key — for a lock
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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