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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 116 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.

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: season · straw · wind · current · clip · key · net · deal

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. clip — to cut
  3. current — electric
  4. clip — for paper
  5. net — in sport
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. current — happening now
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. season — in sport
  10. current — of water
  11. net — after costs
  12. clip — a video
  13. key — in music
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. key — the most important part
  17. net — for catching
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. season — of the year
  20. wind — moving air
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. wind — moving air

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