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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: straw · board · season · lie · roll · snap · sharp · object

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. object — to protest
  3. season — in sport
  4. roll — a cake
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. board — to get on
  12. roll — a list
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — of the year
  15. object — a thing
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. board — a committee
  18. object — an aim
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. snap — to click
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lie — to recline
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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