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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 116 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: season · pit · kick · cap · craft · band · clip · rash

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pit — in a race
  4. band — a ring
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. rash — a series
  9. season — in sport
  10. craft — a skill
  11. clip — to cut
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. cap — a hat
  15. kick — in football
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. band — a music group
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. clip — a video
  24. craft — boats

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