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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: ball · stem · jam · last · rush · pass · pit · stand

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. pit — a hole
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. ball — a dance
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. pass — a permit
  16. ball — a great time
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. stem — to come from
  21. last — to go on
  22. pit — in a race
  23. last — finally
  24. rush — a thrill

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