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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: spell · stick · ball · tube · ground · squash · arm · race

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spell — letters
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. race — humankind
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. squash — to crush
  9. race — a contest
  10. squash — the sport
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. spell — a short time
  15. ground — a position
  16. ball — a dance
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. race — the arms race
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. spell — magic
  24. tube — a container

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