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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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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: fine · fall · key · racket · straw · squash · march · rash

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. fine — high quality
  3. march — the month
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. march — the month
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rash — hasty
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. key — for a lock
  15. fall — to drop
  16. march — music
  17. rash — a series
  18. fine — all right
  19. key — in music
  20. fall — the season
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. fall — to drop
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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