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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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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: pit · pop · mine · cabinet · temple · mug · cold · racket

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mug — a face
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cold — not warm
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. pop — soda
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. pop — music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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