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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: fan · pit · leaves · clip · season · nail · mate · spell

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. mate — a friend
  3. spell — magic
  4. clip — to cut
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pit — in a race
  11. spell — a short time
  12. clip — for paper
  13. mate — a partner
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. clip — a video
  18. mate — to breed
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. season — in sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. season — of the year
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. spell — letters

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