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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: season · spell · cabinet · temple · pass · fork · cold · court

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. cold — not warm
  5. spell — letters
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. spell — magic
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. spell — a short time
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. season — in sport
  16. court — of law
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cold — an illness
  21. season — of the year
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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