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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.

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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: scale · race · bat · spell · lean · key · rest · kid

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. spell — letters
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. rest — what's left
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. lean — thin
  8. key — in music
  9. kid — child
  10. spell — a short time
  11. scale — in music
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — humankind
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. race — the arms race
  16. key — for a lock
  17. scale — size or range
  18. lean — to bend
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. spell — magic
  24. key — the most important part

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