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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: temple · pitcher · calf · shower · suit · cold · cap · racket

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. suit — in cards
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cap — a lid
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. cold — an illness
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cap — of ice
  9. shower — to wash
  10. suit — to fit
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. suit — clothes
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. shower — rain
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. cold — not warm
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. cold — the Cold War

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