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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: season · stock · temple · tube · cold · deal · game · cabinet

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. deal — to handle
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. stock — goods
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. game — wild animals
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. tube — a container
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. cold — not warm
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. game — a match

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