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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: hand · track · pop · land · bore · nail · pit · fork

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. track — a song
  3. bore — to tire
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — ground
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pop — soda
  10. pit — a hole
  11. land — to come down
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pop — to visit
  14. hand — help
  15. track — a path
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pit — in a race
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bore — to drill
  24. pop — music

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