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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: fork · pit · suit · stand · cold · bark · mine · ground

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. suit — clothes
  11. ground — a position
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mine — for digging
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. ground — crushed
  24. pit — in a race

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