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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: land · game · pit · rash · stand · key · band · tube

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. land — to come down
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. tube — the underground
  6. band — a ring
  7. land — ground
  8. rash — hasty
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pit — in a race
  13. band — a music group
  14. rash — a series
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. game — a match
  19. tube — a container
  20. key — in music
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. land — a country

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