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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: bowl · wake · key · present · hand · craft · ground · straw

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. present — the time now
  3. hand — help
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. key — the most important part
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. present — a gift
  12. ground — the earth
  13. key — in music
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. key — for a lock
  16. ground — crushed
  17. craft — boats
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. craft — a skill
  20. ground — a position
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. present — there

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