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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: mine · row · season · cue · drill · ball · date · pass

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. season — of the year
  3. ball — a dance
  4. pass — a permit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cue — for pool
  14. row — to paddle
  15. ball — a great time
  16. season — in sport
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. cue — a signal
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mine — for digging
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. row — a line

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