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

Word bank: jam · kick · wind · bark · cold · suit · cap · temple

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. kick — in football
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. suit — clothes
  11. wind — moving air
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cold — an illness
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cap — of ice
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — to fit
  24. jam — in traffic

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