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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: race · fan · rush · calf · spell · leaves · ball · capital

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. ball — a dance
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. race — humankind
  10. capital — a city
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — the arms race
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. capital — money
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rush — hurry
  24. spell — a short time

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