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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: squash · present · season · pit · shower · track · last · nail

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. season — of the year
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. pit — in a race
  6. squash — the sport
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. track — a song
  10. shower — rain
  11. last — to go on
  12. season — in sport
  13. track — to keep track
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. track — a path
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — there
  20. squash — to crush
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. shower — to wash

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