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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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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: chip · pound · fine · season · cue · pitcher · rush · temple

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cue — a signal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cue — for pool
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — in sport
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. cue — a hint
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. fine — all right
  24. chip — for betting

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