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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. lie — to recline
  3. season — of the year
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. hand — in cards
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hand — help
  17. bat — the animal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. mark — a trace
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. lie — an untruth

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