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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 116 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 · lie · mine · safe · tube · cell · pitch · rash

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. land — ground
  5. lie — to recline
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rash — a series
  19. rash — hasty
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — a container
  22. land — to come down
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. cell — in biology

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