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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: mine · land · rock · pit · ground · suit · roll · chest

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — music
  4. suit — clothes
  5. chest — a box
  6. land — ground
  7. pit — in a race
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. land — a country
  10. roll — a cake
  11. land — to come down
  12. suit — to fit
  13. roll — a list
  14. pit — a hole
  15. ground — the earth
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. chest — of your body
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. suit — in cards
  20. mine — for digging
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. ground — a position
  24. rock — to move gently

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