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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: game · land · pass · bound · nail · pit · present · content

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. pit — a hole
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. bound — tied together
  6. content — happy
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bound — certain
  9. game — wild animals
  10. land — ground
  11. pass — a permit
  12. present — the time now
  13. land — a country
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bound — obliged
  16. present — there
  17. game — a match
  18. land — to come down
  19. present — a gift
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. content — the amount

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