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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: cold · cap · cabinet · rash · race · spell · plane · rule

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cap — a hat
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. cold — an illness
  8. spell — letters
  9. rule — government
  10. plane — a tool
  11. cold — not warm
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. rule — a law
  14. spell — a short time
  15. race — a contest
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. spell — magic
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. race — the arms race
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. race — humankind

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