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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: calf · temple · spell · cold · drill · track · race · court

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. race — the arms race
  3. spell — magic
  4. drill — a practice
  5. court — of law
  6. race — humankind
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. court — of a king
  11. drill — the tool
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. track — a path
  14. spell — letters
  15. track — to keep track
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. track — a song
  18. court — for sport
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. spell — a short time
  23. drill — army training
  24. cold — an illness

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