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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: swing · key · stick · cap · straw · march · root · land

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — in music
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. root — of a word
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cap — of ice
  8. root — of a plant
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. swing — in golf
  11. land — a country
  12. swing — to play on
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. march — music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. march — the month
  18. march — the month
  19. swing — music
  20. land — to come down
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. land — ground
  23. cap — a hat
  24. root — the cause

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