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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: charge · cue · deal · pit · kid · foot · season · pitcher

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — of the year
  11. cue — a signal
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. charge — electricity
  14. season — in sport
  15. cue — for pool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pit — in a race
  18. pit — a hole
  19. charge — a price
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. charge — in control
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kid — child
  24. foot — the bottom

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