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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: ball · leaves · bark · present · file · race · last · content

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. race — humankind
  3. race — the arms race
  4. ball — a dance
  5. last — final
  6. race — a contest
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. file — a line of people
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. file — a tool
  11. present — the time now
  12. content — happy
  13. ball — a great time
  14. present — there
  15. present — a gift
  16. last — to go on
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. file — a document
  20. content — the amount
  21. last — finally
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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