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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
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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: firm · key · straw · leaves · track · swing · ground · row

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. firm — a company
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. ground — a position
  5. key — for a lock
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. key — the most important part
  8. firm — decided
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. swing — music
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. swing — in golf
  13. track — a song
  14. key — in music
  15. track — a path
  16. swing — to play on
  17. row — a line
  18. ground — the earth
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. ground — crushed
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. row — to paddle
  23. firm — steady
  24. straw — dry grass

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