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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 · charge · chest · wound · pit · drill · rock · row

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. row — a line
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. drill — army training
  8. chest — of your body
  9. charge — a price
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rock — a stone
  13. chest — a box
  14. pit — in a race
  15. wound — an injury
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. drill — a practice
  19. roll — a cake
  20. drill — the tool
  21. charge — in control
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. charge — electricity

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