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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: cue · lash · game · board · straw · mark · lean · season

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. lean — thin
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lean — to bend
  8. game — a match
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mark — a grade
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. season — in sport
  18. cue — for pool
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. board — to get on
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cue — a hint
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. cue — a signal

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