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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: bound · tear · ground · file · squash · land · pit · hand

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. bound — tied together
  3. file — a document
  4. squash — the sport
  5. tear — from crying
  6. ground — a position
  7. land — ground
  8. ground — crushed
  9. squash — to crush
  10. tear — to rip
  11. land — a country
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bound — certain
  14. land — to come down
  15. file — a tool
  16. ground — the earth
  17. file — a line of people
  18. hand — help
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pit — a hole
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. tear — from crying

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