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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: lie · wound · season · bowl · cue · perch · last · stick

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. last — final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. last — to go on
  11. season — of the year
  12. cue — for pool
  13. last — finally
  14. perch — the fish
  15. wound — an injury
  16. lie — to recline
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. cue — a signal
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cue — a hint
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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