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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: bowl · rule · temple · wind · spell · calf · kick · pop

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. pop — to visit
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. spell — magic
  5. rule — government
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rule — a law
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pop — music
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pop — soda
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. wind — moving air
  23. spell — letters
  24. kick — in football

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