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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: pitcher · cold · ruler · snap · pit · mine · tube · temple

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. snap — to click
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. cold — not warm
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. pit — in a race
  15. mine — for digging
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — an illness
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pit — a hole
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. temple — a place of worship

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