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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: ground · pit · land · cabinet · bound · ball · bear · chest

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. ball — a great time
  3. land — to come down
  4. pit — in a race
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bear — the animal
  7. pit — a hole
  8. chest — a box
  9. bound — tied together
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. land — ground
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chest — of your body
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bound — certain
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bear — the animal

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