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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: bank · cold · chip · foot · rule · pitcher · saw · kick

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bank — of a river
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. cold — not warm
  10. cold — an illness
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. foot — a measure
  13. saw — the tool
  14. bank — for money
  15. saw — the tool
  16. kick — in football
  17. chip — for betting
  18. rule — government
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. bank — for money
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. kick — with a leg

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