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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: hide · land · snap · saw · bound · pit

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. pit — in a race
  3. land — to come down
  4. bound — obliged
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bound — certain
  8. pit — a hole
  9. land — a country
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. saw — the tool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. land — ground
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. bound — tied together
  18. saw — past of 'see'

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