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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 120 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: wind · leaves · mate · craft · swing · key · track · straw

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. key — for a lock
  3. track — a song
  4. mate — to breed
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. swing — music
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wind — moving air
  9. craft — a skill
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. wind — moving air
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. swing — in golf
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mate — a partner
  20. swing — to play on
  21. key — in music
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. craft — boats
  24. leaves — to go away

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