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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: scale · stick · straw · last · key · race · tear · object

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. tear — to rip
  3. last — finally
  4. object — to protest
  5. last — final
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. scale — in music
  8. tear — from crying
  9. race — the arms race
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. tear — from crying
  13. object — a thing
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. key — for a lock
  16. scale — size or range
  17. key — the most important part
  18. object — an aim
  19. race — a contest
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. key — in music
  22. last — to go on
  23. race — humankind
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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