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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: pit · saw · rock · cue · ball · net · season · staff

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — of the year
  3. pit — a hole
  4. ball — a dance
  5. saw — the tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — employees
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. staff — a stick
  10. pit — in a race
  11. net — for catching
  12. season — in sport
  13. cue — a hint
  14. net — in sport
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. cue — a signal
  21. net — after costs
  22. cue — for pool
  23. rock — a stone
  24. ball — a great time

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