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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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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: kick · squash · pit · bank · rule · cold · temple · pop

  1. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bank — for money
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pit — a hole
  8. rule — government
  9. kick — in football
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rule — a law
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bank — for money
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. squash — the sport
  18. cold — not warm
  19. pit — in a race
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. squash — the vegetable

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