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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: ground · pit · cue · foot · stand · season · net · land

  1. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pit — in a race
  4. net — in sport
  5. pit — a hole
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. ground — the earth
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. land — ground
  11. cue — for pool
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. net — for catching
  16. land — a country
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cue — a hint
  19. land — to come down
  20. cue — a signal
  21. season — in sport
  22. foot — a measure
  23. season — of the year
  24. net — after costs

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