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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 120 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 · fall · cold · racket · season · cue · bore · club

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. season — in sport
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. season — of the year
  8. bore — to tire
  9. club — for golf
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cue — for pool
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mine — for digging
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cue — a hint
  20. cue — a signal
  21. cold — an illness
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — to drop

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