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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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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: pit · net · ball · stem · pass · staff · bound · season

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bound — obliged
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stem — to come from
  7. net — in sport
  8. bound — certain
  9. staff — a stick
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. season — of the year
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — for catching
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. staff — employees
  19. pit — in a race
  20. season — in sport
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. pit — a hole

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