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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: pass · fall · sharp · kid · date · season · hand · club

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pass — a permit
  3. club — a group
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. season — of the year
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. kid — child
  10. club — for golf
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hand — in cards
  14. club — for dancing
  15. sharp — clever
  16. hand — help
  17. fall — the season
  18. kid — to tease
  19. season — in sport
  20. fall — to drop
  21. date — the fruit
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. date — on the calendar

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