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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: pound · bay · staff · pitch · mine · land · board · mark

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. land — ground
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. land — a country
  9. staff — employees
  10. mark — a trace
  11. board — to get on
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. board — a committee
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pound — a weight
  21. land — to come down
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. pound — to hit hard

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