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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 · wound · pit · club · staff · safe · bear · foot

  1. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. land — a country
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — ground
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. club — for golf
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. staff — employees
  12. foot — a measure
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pit — a hole
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. bear — the animal
  18. club — a group
  19. staff — employees
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. pit — in a race
  22. land — to come down
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. club — for dancing

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