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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: pit · fan · can · march · nail · rash · season · cue

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. march — the month
  5. cue — a hint
  6. march — music
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. pit — in a race
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. season — of the year
  13. march — the month
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cue — a signal
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. cue — for pool
  18. can — a tin
  19. season — in sport
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pit — a hole

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