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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: pit · last · pop · dip · stem · drill · spell · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. last — finally
  3. spell — a short time
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — the tool
  6. stem — to come from
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. drill — army training
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. spell — letters
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. dip — to sink
  14. pop — soda
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. pop — music
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pit — in a race
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. spell — magic

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