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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: chair · saw · rash · straw · key · toast · bay · wound

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. key — in music
  3. chair — a leader
  4. key — the most important part
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. key — for a lock
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — bread
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rash — a series
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wound — an injury
  21. saw — the tool
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. saw — the tool

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