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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 120 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
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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: race · chest · game · leaves · spell · ball · cabinet · rush

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. spell — letters
  3. game — a match
  4. race — a contest
  5. chest — of your body
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. chest — a box
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spell — magic
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. race — the arms race
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. race — humankind
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ball — a great time
  19. rush — hurry
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chest — of your body
  22. spell — a short time
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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