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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 120 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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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: snap · squash · drill · scale · present · straw · key · stand

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. drill — a practice
  3. present — a gift
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. scale — size or range
  6. squash — to crush
  7. drill — army training
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. drill — the tool
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. key — in music
  13. stand — to bear
  14. scale — in music
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. squash — the sport
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. present — there
  20. present — the time now
  21. snap — to click
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. straw — a straw man

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