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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: hand · rush · last · straw · key · pitcher · racket · lie

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. lie — to recline
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. key — in music
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. key — for a lock
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — in cards
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. last — finally
  24. key — the most important part

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