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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: key · file · chest · straw · capital · club · chair · cue

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. chest — a box
  3. file — a document
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. file — a tool
  10. club — a group
  11. key — for a lock
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cue — for pool
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. capital — a city
  20. club — for golf
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chair — a leader
  24. capital — money

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