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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: bat · season · pass · ball · stick · field · cue · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. season — of the year
  3. bat — the animal
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cue — a hint
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pass — a permit
  17. field — a subject
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. cue — for pool
  22. ball — a dance
  23. season — in sport
  24. chip — for betting

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