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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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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bank — for money
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. mark — a trace
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. cold — an illness
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. cap — a hat
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bank — for money
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rash — hasty
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bat — the animal

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