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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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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: ball · rest · bowl · court · perch · present · race · spell

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. ball — a dance
  3. race — humankind
  4. court — for sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. ball — a great time
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. present — a gift
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. perch — the fish
  11. spell — letters
  12. present — there
  13. court — of law
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. court — of a king
  16. present — the time now
  17. spell — a short time
  18. race — the arms race
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. rest — a break
  21. race — a contest
  22. rest — what's left
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bowl — to roll

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