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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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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: pound · cabinet · race · fork · spell · kick · staff · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. staff — employees
  3. race — the arms race
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pound — a weight
  7. spell — a short time
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. spell — letters
  13. fork — in a road
  14. race — humankind
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. staff — employees
  17. spell — magic
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. kick — in football
  23. race — a contest
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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