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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: bound · craft · current · deal · key · kid · file · straw

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. current — happening now
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. kid — child
  6. bound — obliged
  7. file — a line of people
  8. file — a tool
  9. craft — boats
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bound — tied together
  12. key — in music
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. file — a document
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. current — of water
  18. key — for a lock
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. current — electric
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. key — the most important part

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