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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: cue · saw · fork · kid · pass · season · chair · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pass — a permit
  3. season — in sport
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. cue — a hint
  6. chair — a leader
  7. season — of the year
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. fork — in a road
  11. kid — child
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cue — for pool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. ball — a dance
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. kid — to tease

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