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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: tube · fan · mark · pit · season · staff · deal · chip

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. staff — employees
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. season — of the year
  6. chip — to eat
  7. season — in sport
  8. tube — a container
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. staff — a stick
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — in a race
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mark — a trace
  16. staff — employees
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. chip — for betting
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mark — a grade
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. deal — to handle

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