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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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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: safe · kick · ball · pitcher · temple · cold · bank · toast

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. toast — bread
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bank — for money
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bank — of a river
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. ball — a dance
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. kick — in football
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. cold — not warm
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bank — for money
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. ball — a round shape

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