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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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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: jam · cabinet · shower · cold · hand · roll · temple · pit

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. hand — in cards
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. cold — not warm
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. roll — a list
  9. hand — help
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pit — in a race
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pit — a hole
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. roll — a cake
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. hand — part of the body

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