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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: pit · deal · row · chest · tube · march · rash · wind

  1. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. row — to paddle
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wind — moving air
  5. tube — the underground
  6. chest — of your body
  7. deal — to handle
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rash — hasty
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. chest — of your body
  14. tube — a container
  15. pit — in a race
  16. march — music
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. rash — a series
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wind — moving air
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. row — a line

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