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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.

Make a worksheet

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: spell · straw · key · saw · rock · wake · chest · object

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. rock — music
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. object — an aim
  5. key — for a lock
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. spell — letters
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. object — to protest
  12. wake — a trail
  13. saw — the tool
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. object — a thing
  16. chest — a box
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. spell — a short time
  19. chest — of your body
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. spell — magic
  22. key — the most important part
  23. rock — a stone
  24. saw — the tool

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