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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 · fan · pit · current · dip · wound · pass · rest

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. chest — of your body
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. current — happening now
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rest — what's left
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. dip — to sink
  21. current — of water
  22. wound — an injury
  23. current — electric
  24. dip — a sauce

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