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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mate · pit · pass · saw · bat · face · hand · land

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pit — a hole
  4. face — to confront
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. land — a country
  7. bat — the animal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. pit — in a race
  10. face — to point toward
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. hand — help
  13. pass — a permit
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — a partner
  17. land — to come down
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. mate — to breed

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