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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: spell · suit · stick · race · rule · game · pit · wound

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spell — a short time
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pit — in a race
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rule — government
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. wound — an injury
  11. game — a match
  12. suit — clothes
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rule — a law
  16. race — a contest
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. suit — to fit
  19. race — the arms race
  20. spell — magic
  21. wound — an injury
  22. suit — in cards
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. race — humankind

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