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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
468
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 · swing · season · game · bay · key · wound · mine

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. key — in music
  3. season — in sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. swing — music
  7. swing — to play on
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. game — a match
  21. mine — for digging
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mine — an explosive

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