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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 · racket · cold · pitcher · rule · lie · kick · nail

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cold — an illness
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bank — for money
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bank — of a river
  9. rule — government
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. cold — not warm
  15. bank — for money
  16. lie — to recline
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rule — a law
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. kick — in football

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