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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: kick · tear · jam · cold · cue · hand · temple · leaves

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. tear — to rip
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. cue — for pool
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cold — not warm
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cold — an illness
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. tear — from crying
  13. kick — in football
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cue — a signal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. hand — in cards

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