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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: mug · lie · roll · tube · straw · net · sharp · ball

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. ball — a great time
  4. sharp — clever
  5. lie — to recline
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. net — for catching
  8. ball — a dance
  9. mug — a face
  10. roll — a list
  11. net — after costs
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mug — to rob
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. roll — a cake
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. net — in sport
  20. tube — a container
  21. mug — a cup
  22. tube — the underground
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. ball — a round shape

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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