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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: coach · ruler · object · calf · cold · straw · fine · key

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fine — all right
  4. object — to protest
  5. key — in music
  6. cold — not warm
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. object — a thing
  9. cold — an illness
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fine — high quality
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. key — for a lock
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. object — an aim
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. cold — the Cold War

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