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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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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: leaves · scale · bark · race · ball · game · lie · spell

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. game — wild animals
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. race — the arms race
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bark — to shout
  10. race — a contest
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. spell — letters
  13. game — a match
  14. spell — magic
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spell — a short time
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ball — a dance
  20. lie — to recline
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. ball — a great time
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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