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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · wound · chest · row · ball · board · bark · pit

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. board — to get on
  5. chest — a box
  6. pop — soda
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — a committee
  11. chest — of your body
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pit — a hole
  14. ball — a great time
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. ball — a dance
  20. row — to paddle
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bark — to shout

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