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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: key · pitcher · straw · game · rush · trunk · saw · net

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. game — wild animals
  7. key — the most important part
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. game — a match
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. key — in music
  18. rush — hurry
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. key — for a lock
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. saw — the tool
  23. net — in sport
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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