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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: mine · hand · pass · can · land · present · foot · rule

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. land — ground
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. present — there
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. rule — a law
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rule — government
  14. land — to come down
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. hand — help
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pass — a permit
  21. land — a country
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pass — to spend time

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