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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mouse · tube · hand · key · mine · cell

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. key — in music
  4. tube — the underground
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. hand — help
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pit — in a race
  9. key — for a lock
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. land — ground
  12. land — to come down
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cell — a phone
  18. land — a country
  19. tube — a container
  20. cell — in biology
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. key — the most important part
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mouse — 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