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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · squash · chip · rush · cold · capital · lie · bank

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. squash — the sport
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bank — of a river
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — not warm
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. capital — a city
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chip — for betting
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. capital — money
  15. bank — for money
  16. rush — hurry
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. chip — to eat
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. squash — to crush
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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