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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: wind · mark · rule · vault · temple · race · spell · cold

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. rule — government
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mark — a grade
  6. spell — a short time
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. race — humankind
  11. race — the arms race
  12. rule — a law
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. race — a contest
  15. spell — letters
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. vault — a safe
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. mark — a trace
  20. spell — magic
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wind — moving air
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. mark — to pay attention

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