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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 116 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 · kick · tear · board · hand · track · straw · stand

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. key — the most important part
  5. hand — help
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. hand — in cards
  8. board — to get on
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. stand — to bear
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. key — for a lock
  15. tear — to rip
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. kick — in football
  18. board — a committee
  19. track — a path
  20. key — in music
  21. track — to keep track
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. track — a song

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