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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 116 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: chair · suit · kick · season · cold · cabinet · lash · cue

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cue — a hint
  7. chair — a leader
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. suit — to fit
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cue — for pool
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. suit — clothes
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. cue — a signal
  18. season — of the year
  19. suit — in cards
  20. season — in sport
  21. cold — not warm
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. cold — an illness

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