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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 116 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: firm · mark · rock · bat · land · band · file · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. pit — in a race
  5. firm — decided
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. land — to come down
  8. pit — a hole
  9. firm — a company
  10. land — ground
  11. band — a ring
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. rock — music
  14. firm — steady
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. land — a country
  19. bat — the animal
  20. file — a tool
  21. mark — a grade
  22. file — a document
  23. mark — a trace
  24. band — a music group

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