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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: wind · season · game · pass · stand · last · cap · mouse

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. season — in sport
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wind — moving air
  5. season — of the year
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. cap — a lid
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. stand — to bear
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pass — a permit
  22. game — a match
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. last — to go on

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