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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
468
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: trunk · pass · shower · key · season · date · march · racket

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. shower — rain
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. date — the fruit
  5. season — of the year
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. shower — to wash
  8. march — the month
  9. key — the most important part
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. march — the month
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. march — music
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. key — in music
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. season — in sport
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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