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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 120 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: present · lie · straw · game · pitcher · season · hand · saw

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. game — wild animals
  10. season — of the year
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. game — a match
  13. present — there
  14. saw — the tool
  15. season — in sport
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. present — a gift
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. hand — in cards
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. present — the time now

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