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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · date · season · ball · cue · key · craft · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. ball — a great time
  3. craft — boats
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — for pool
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. season — of the year
  11. ball — a dance
  12. date — the fruit
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. season — in sport
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. key — for a lock
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. craft — a skill
  21. key — the most important part
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. key — in music
  24. wound — an injury

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