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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: season · fine · track · chest · can · date · pass · trunk

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. chest — of your body
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. fine — high quality
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. date — the fruit
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. can — to be able to
  14. season — of the year
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. chest — of your body
  17. season — in sport
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. pass — a permit
  20. track — a path
  21. can — a tin
  22. fine — all right
  23. chest — a box
  24. trunk — of a car

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