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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · key · bass · scale · file · deal · straw · bat

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. key — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. key — the most important part
  5. rash — a series
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. scale — in music
  9. deal — to handle
  10. bass — low music
  11. file — a line of people
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. rash — hasty
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. bat — the animal
  19. file — a tool
  20. bass — the fish
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. file — a document
  24. straw — dry grass

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