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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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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: straw · staff · key · face · nail · clip · bat · current

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. clip — to cut
  5. current — happening now
  6. staff — a stick
  7. current — of water
  8. staff — employees
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. clip — a video
  11. face — to confront
  12. bat — the animal
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. key — for a lock
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. key — the most important part
  19. current — electric
  20. key — in music
  21. clip — for paper
  22. staff — employees
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — part of the head

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