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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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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: pit · squash · stand · cell · last · rest

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. last — final
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cell — in biology
  7. last — to go on
  8. rest — a break
  9. squash — to crush
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stand — to bear
  14. cell — a phone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. last — finally
  17. squash — the sport
  18. stand — on your feet

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