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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: present · can · ground · suit · march · spell · tube · pit

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — clothes
  5. can — a tin
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. spell — magic
  9. suit — to fit
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. present — the time now
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. march — music
  15. present — a gift
  16. can — a tin
  17. march — the month
  18. present — there
  19. march — the month
  20. pit — a hole
  21. can — to be able to
  22. tube — the underground
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pit — in a race

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