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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: pit · cue · stand · land · last · can · temple · season

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. land — a country
  3. stand — to bear
  4. can — a tin
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. land — to come down
  8. can — to be able to
  9. cue — a hint
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. can — a tin
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — finally
  14. season — in sport
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. last — final
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pit — in a race
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. land — ground
  21. cue — for pool
  22. season — of the year
  23. cue — a signal
  24. season — to add flavour

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