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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: mug · cue · pit · hand · chair · foot · deal · season

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. cue — a signal
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. hand — help
  9. chair — a leader
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pit — in a race
  13. season — of the year
  14. pit — a hole
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mug — a face
  18. hand — in cards
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. deal — to handle
  21. mug — to rob
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cue — a hint
  24. chair — to sit on

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