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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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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 · bowl · ground · pit · firm · rule · bear · roll

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. land — to come down
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. land — a country
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pit — a hole
  9. bear — the animal
  10. land — ground
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rule — a law
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. firm — decided
  17. firm — steady
  18. roll — a list
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rule — government
  21. firm — a company
  22. ground — the earth
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — a football final

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