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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: roll · pit · stand · board · land · drill · band · foot

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. drill — a practice
  3. board — a committee
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stand — to bear
  6. foot — a measure
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. band — a ring
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. land — a country
  12. pit — in a race
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. roll — a list
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. land — ground
  19. land — to come down
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. board — to get on
  22. drill — the tool
  23. drill — army training
  24. pit — a hole

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