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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: mouse · net · club · straw · root · wind · file · key

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — in sport
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. key — in music
  5. root — of a word
  6. net — for catching
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wind — moving air
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. key — for a lock
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. root — the cause
  13. club — for golf
  14. file — a document
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. root — of a plant
  17. file — a tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. club — for dancing
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. club — a group
  24. key — the most important part

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