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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: season · pitcher · spell · bound · jam · rest · race · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  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 dance
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. spell — letters
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. season — in sport
  9. spell — magic
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — obliged
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rest — a break
  18. race — a contest
  19. rest — what's left
  20. season — of the year
  21. bound — tied together
  22. ball — a great time
  23. jam — a tight spot
  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