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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · object · present · squash · plane · field · tube · straw

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. key — in music
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — there
  5. key — for a lock
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. tube — a container
  9. key — the most important part
  10. field — for sport
  11. object — to protest
  12. tube — the underground
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. squash — the sport
  16. plane — a tool
  17. object — an aim
  18. field — a subject
  19. object — a thing
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. field — farmland
  23. present — the time now
  24. plane — an aircraft

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