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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: current · game · roll · pass · straw · mine · chair · season

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pass — a permit
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. current — of water
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. current — happening now
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. game — a match
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. current — electric
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. roll — a cake
  19. game — wild animals
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. mine — for digging
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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