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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.

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: cold · rush · stick · wound · foot · bound · roll · pit

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. roll — a cake
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bound — tied together
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bound — certain
  12. rush — hurry
  13. cold — not warm
  14. wound — an injury
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bound — obliged
  17. roll — a list
  18. wound — an injury
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. cold — an illness
  22. foot — a measure
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pit — a hole

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