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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: ruler · roll · spell · last · fall · band · pit · swing

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. band — a ring
  5. swing — to play on
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. roll — a cake
  8. spell — a short time
  9. last — final
  10. roll — a list
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. pit — a hole
  14. swing — music
  15. fall — the season
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. band — a music group
  18. pit — in a race
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. swing — in golf
  24. fall — to drop

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