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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: season · land · club · hand · cap · deal · bass · suit

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. bass — low music
  5. cap — a hat
  6. suit — clothes
  7. hand — help
  8. suit — in cards
  9. hand — in cards
  10. cap — a lid
  11. land — to come down
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. land — ground
  14. bass — the fish
  15. land — a country
  16. suit — to fit
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. season — in sport
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. cap — of ice
  21. deal — to handle
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. club — for dancing
  24. season — to add flavour

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