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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: straw · file · season · land · key · deal · object · shower

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. object — a thing
  8. key — the most important part
  9. object — an aim
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. key — for a lock
  12. shower — rain
  13. file — a line of people
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. season — in sport
  16. shower — to wash
  17. land — ground
  18. season — of the year
  19. deal — to handle
  20. land — to come down
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. key — in music
  24. object — to protest

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