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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 · pit · fine · can · rock · saw · mate · press

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. mate — to breed
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — in sport
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pit — in a race
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pit — a hole
  11. saw — the tool
  12. season — of the year
  13. fine — all right
  14. rock — music
  15. fine — high quality
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. press — newspapers
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mate — a friend
  20. can — a tin
  21. mate — a partner
  22. rock — a stone
  23. press — to push
  24. can — a tin

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