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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: lash · wind · straw · arm · file · key · staff · jam

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wind — moving air
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. file — a document
  7. key — for a lock
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. key — the most important part
  11. staff — a stick
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. file — a line of people
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. staff — employees
  18. wind — moving air
  19. staff — employees
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. file — a tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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