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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: bay · straw · kick · wake · lie · saw · clip · season

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. saw — the tool
  3. season — in sport
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. clip — a video
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. clip — for paper
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. clip — to cut
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. season — of the year
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. saw — the tool
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. kick — in football
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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