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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: safe · land · fan · date · ground · pit · pass · saw

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. ground — crushed
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. land — ground
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. date — the fruit
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pass — a permit
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pit — in a race
  14. land — to come down
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pit — a hole
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. ground — a position
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. ground — the earth
  23. safe — out of danger
  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