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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: straw · last · rule · kick · pit · stand · spell · stem

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. 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. straw — dry grass
  3. pit — a hole
  4. spell — magic
  5. rule — a law
  6. last — final
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. stand — to bear
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. last — finally
  11. rule — government
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. last — to go on
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — letters
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. kick — in football
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. stem — to come from
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. 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