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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: pit · land · spell · cap · file · bound · stand · dip

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pit — in a race
  3. land — a country
  4. spell — letters
  5. stand — to bear
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. file — a tool
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. land — to come down
  10. bound — tied together
  11. cap — a lid
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bound — obliged
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. cap — of ice
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. bound — certain
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cap — a hat
  21. file — a document
  22. pit — a hole
  23. land — ground
  24. stand — for spectators

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