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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bank — for money
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. degree — temperature
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. degree — an amount
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. squash — the sport
  12. squash — to crush
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. cold — an illness
  16. chip — to eat
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. degree — from a university
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bank — for money
  24. cold — the Cold War

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