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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.

Make a worksheet

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: cold · rush · temple · mate · fan · pitcher · lash · bowl

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. mate — a partner
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. mate — a friend
  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