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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: rush · season · fan · track · march · cell · pit · snap

  1. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. snap — to click
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. track — a song
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. rush — hurry
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — in biology
  13. march — the month
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. pit — a hole
  22. cell — a phone
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. track — a path

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