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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: game · toast · wind · cold · spell · temple · rush · foot

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cold — not warm
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. wind — moving air
  14. foot — a measure
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. cold — an illness
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. toast — bread
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a match
  24. spell — letters

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