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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: rush · cell · spell · game · firm · pit · bound · leaves

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. spell — a short time
  3. game — wild animals
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bound — tied together
  9. spell — magic
  10. bound — certain
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. cell — a phone
  13. spell — letters
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. firm — steady
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. firm — decided
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. game — a match
  21. cell — in biology
  22. firm — a company
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. leaves — lets stay

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