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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: ground · cabinet · fan · march · pit · pop · cue · hand

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pit — in a race
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cue — for pool
  6. ground — a position
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cue — a signal
  10. march — the month
  11. hand — help
  12. march — music
  13. pit — a hole
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pop — to visit
  16. march — the month
  17. ground — the earth
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. ground — crushed
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. hand — in cards

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