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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: stand · pit · track · rock · season · saw

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. saw — the tool
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. track — a song
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rock — music
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. season — in sport
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. season — of the year
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. stand — to bear
  15. track — to keep track
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pit — in a race
  18. track — a path

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