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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: foot · key · wind · straw · club · cabinet · season · can

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. club — for golf
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. key — for a lock
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. key — the most important part
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. club — a group
  9. wind — moving air
  10. foot — a measure
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. can — a tin
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. club — for dancing
  18. season — in sport
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. can — a tin
  21. key — in music
  22. can — to be able to
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cabinet — ministers

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