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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: bowl · prune · straw · pit · stick · spell · fall · last

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. pit — in a race
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. last — finally
  5. fall — to drop
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. spell — a short time
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spell — letters
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. last — to go on
  15. prune — to trim
  16. spell — magic
  17. last — final
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fall — the season
  22. prune — to trim
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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