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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: chest · bulb · stand · roll · ground · pit · rush · rule

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. bulb — for light
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. roll — a cake
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rule — government
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rule — a law
  13. ground — a position
  14. rush — hurry
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. chest — of your body
  18. ground — the earth
  19. chest — a box
  20. roll — a list
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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