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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: kid · season · stick · cabinet · leaves · chair · toast · pass

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. season — in sport
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. toast — bread
  6. kid — to tease
  7. chair — a leader
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. pass — a permit
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. kid — child
  24. season — of the year

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