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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: cold · nail · march · pitcher · staff · scale · rule · temple

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. staff — a stick
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. cold — not warm
  8. staff — employees
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rule — a law
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. march — the month
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. scale — size or range
  15. march — the month
  16. rule — government
  17. staff — employees
  18. march — music
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. scale — in music
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cold — an illness

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