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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · mouse · shower · suit · date · season · pit · coach

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. shower — to wash
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. pit — a hole
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pit — in a race
  9. shower — rain
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. suit — clothes
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. season — of the year
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. season — in sport
  18. kid — to tease
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. suit — to fit
  24. kid — child

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