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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: cold · date · cue · pitcher · season · game · firm · stand

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. game — a match
  3. cue — for pool
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. stand — to bear
  7. firm — decided
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cold — an illness
  10. cold — not warm
  11. cue — a signal
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. firm — a company
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. game — wild animals
  16. season — of the year
  17. cue — a hint
  18. season — in sport
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. firm — steady
  24. stand — on your feet

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