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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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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 · ground · bank · trunk · snap · pit · bat · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. land — a country
  5. land — ground
  6. race — humankind
  7. bank — for money
  8. ground — a position
  9. snap — to click
  10. race — a contest
  11. ground — the earth
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bank — of a river
  16. pit — in a race
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bank — for money
  19. pit — a hole
  20. land — to come down
  21. ground — crushed
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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