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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 · suit · date · spring · pit · present · coach · row

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. suit — to fit
  3. suit — in cards
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pit — in a race
  7. present — a gift
  8. row — a line
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spring — of water
  11. season — of the year
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. row — to paddle
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. suit — clothes
  23. pit — a hole
  24. date — the fruit

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