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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: net · hand · bowl · key · straw · tube · mark · field

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. key — the most important part
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. hand — help
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. field — farmland
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. mark — a trace
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tube — a container
  16. key — for a lock
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. net — in sport
  19. mark — a grade
  20. tube — the underground
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. key — in music
  23. net — for catching
  24. straw — a straw man

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