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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: rule · spell · season · key · cold · tube · swing · race

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. key — for a lock
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. race — the arms race
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — the underground
  7. season — of the year
  8. rule — government
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. key — the most important part
  11. swing — music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rule — a law
  14. race — humankind
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. spell — magic
  18. swing — to play on
  19. season — in sport
  20. spell — letters
  21. key — in music
  22. cold — an illness
  23. race — a contest
  24. tube — in a tire

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