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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: bark · file · pop · chest · wound · can · bowl · pit

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. can — a tin
  4. pit — a hole
  5. file — a document
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chest — of your body
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. pop — soda
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. file — a tool
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. chest — a box
  19. can — to be able to
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pop — to visit
  22. file — a line of people
  23. can — a tin
  24. pop — music

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