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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: patient · rush · bowl · roll · board · spell · pit · fall

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pit — a hole
  5. roll — a cake
  6. board — to get on
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pit — in a race
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fall — the season
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spell — a short time
  19. board — a committee
  20. rush — hurry
  21. spell — letters
  22. fall — to drop
  23. roll — a list
  24. patient — a sick person

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