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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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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: pit · cue · cold · band · fork · jam · lash · season

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cold — an illness
  4. season — in sport
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. fork — in a road
  7. cue — a hint
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a ring
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. pit — in a race
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cue — for pool
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. season — of the year
  18. band — a music group
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cue — a signal

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