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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: land · saw · sharp · rock · can · pit · chest · ball

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  3. chest — of your body
  4. land — ground
  5. ball — a dance
  6. can — a tin
  7. rock — a stone
  8. chest — a box
  9. saw — the tool
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rock — music
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. saw — the tool
  22. land — to come down
  23. pit — in a race
  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