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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: roll · chip · pit · lash · press · board · march · drill

  1. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. board — to get on
  3. pit — a hole
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. chip — for betting
  8. board — a committee
  9. chip — to eat
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. press — newspapers
  14. march — music
  15. press — to push
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. drill — the tool
  19. drill — a practice
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. drill — army training
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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