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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.

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: season · cold · cue · saw · stem · key · pass · date

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cold — not warm
  5. key — the most important part
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — a signal
  9. pass — a permit
  10. date — the fruit
  11. stem — to come from
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. key — for a lock
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. key — in music
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. date — on the calendar
  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