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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: pop · pit · chest · board · roll · march · wound · bulb

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. pit — in a race
  3. roll — a cake
  4. board — a committee
  5. march — the month
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. wound — an injury
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. wound — an injury
  10. chest — of your body
  11. march — music
  12. chest — a box
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pop — music
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. bulb — for light
  22. roll — a list
  23. march — the month
  24. board — to get on

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