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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 · root · swing · suit · last · pit · land · rule

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. land — ground
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. suit — in cards
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. suit — clothes
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. root — of a plant
  9. land — a country
  10. root — of a word
  11. land — to come down
  12. root — the cause
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. last — finally
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pit — in a race
  18. suit — to fit
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. rule — government
  22. last — to go on
  23. rule — a law
  24. bowl — to roll

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