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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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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: straw · wake · ruler · bowl · pass · object · key · cold

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cold — an illness
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cold — not warm
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. object — an aim
  19. pass — a permit
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. object — to protest
  23. key — in music
  24. object — a thing

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