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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: drill · ball · pit · stem · leaves · safe · ground · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pit — in a race
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. drill — a practice
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a great time
  11. last — final
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ground — the earth
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. ground — a position
  17. last — to go on
  18. stem — to come from
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. drill — army training
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. pit — a hole

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