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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: bass · last · cabinet · cue · season · rule · kick · face

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. cue — for pool
  3. last — to go on
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bass — low music
  6. last — final
  7. face — to confront
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. kick — in football
  10. rule — a law
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cue — a signal
  13. season — in sport
  14. cue — a hint
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. last — finally
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. season — of the year
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rule — government
  23. face — part of the head
  24. kick — with a leg

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