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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: hide · straw · field · jam · stick · season · lie · cue

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cue — for pool
  4. field — a subject
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. lie — to recline
  11. field — farmland
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cue — a signal
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. cue — a hint
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. field — for sport
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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