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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: season · rule · last · calf · temple · spell · game · bound

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. last — final
  3. last — to go on
  4. spell — a short time
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. spell — magic
  7. last — finally
  8. rule — government
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. spell — letters
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rule — a law
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bound — tied together
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. game — a match
  20. season — of the year
  21. bound — certain
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. temple — side of the head

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