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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: mark · roll · season · cabinet · date · staff · wake · kid

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. kid — child
  6. staff — employees
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. staff — employees
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. date — the fruit
  13. mark — a trace
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wake — a trail
  17. season — of the year
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. mark — a grade
  20. roll — a list
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. roll — on a roll

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