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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: kid · toast · bowl · trunk · straw · key · rash · cabinet

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. key — the most important part
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. key — in music
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. key — for a lock
  11. toast — bread
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rash — a series
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rash — hasty
  20. kid — child
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. kid — to tease
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bowl — to roll

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