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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 · kid · cold · spell · staff · suit · club · season

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. club — a group
  3. spell — magic
  4. kid — to tease
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. suit — clothes
  8. kid — child
  9. spell — letters
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. suit — in cards
  12. cold — an illness
  13. season — in sport
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. season — of the year
  18. club — for golf
  19. spell — a short time
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — a stick
  22. suit — to fit
  23. club — for dancing
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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