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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: arm · key · straw · rush · fall · capital · bore · staff

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bore — to drill
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. staff — employees
  6. capital — money
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. fall — to drop
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. capital — a city
  13. key — in music
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. bore — to tire
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. fall — the season
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. fall — to drop
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — a stick
  24. arm — part of the body

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