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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: cell · rush · temple · toast · cap · pitcher · pound · pit

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. cap — a lid
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. rush — a thrill

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