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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: pitcher · sharp · ground · jam · leaves · game · lie · straw

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. sharp — clever
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. ground — crushed
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. ground — a position
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. ground — the earth
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. game — a match

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