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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: saw · firm · season · lie · sharp · cold · object · pitch

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. object — to protest
  7. sharp — clever
  8. season — of the year
  9. pitch — completely
  10. firm — a company
  11. cold — an illness
  12. firm — steady
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — not warm
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. saw — the tool
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. object — an aim
  23. firm — decided
  24. object — a thing

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