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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: season · can · chest · fan · pit · band · net · fall

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. can — a tin
  3. band — a music group
  4. chest — of your body
  5. can — to be able to
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. net — after costs
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. can — a tin
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. band — a ring
  13. pit — in a race
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. fall — to drop
  18. season — in sport
  19. fall — the season
  20. net — in sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. net — for catching
  23. chest — a box
  24. season — of the year

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