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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 120 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: board · ball · key · craft · present · lash · straw · kid

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. key — in music
  4. board — a committee
  5. ball — a great time
  6. present — there
  7. ball — a dance
  8. present — a gift
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. kid — child
  13. board — to get on
  14. present — the time now
  15. key — the most important part
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. craft — a skill
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. craft — boats
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. straw — a straw man

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