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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: kick · bank · date · temple · track · pass · cold · stock

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bank — of a river
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. cold — not warm
  5. track — a path
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pass — a permit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cold — an illness
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bank — for money
  15. stock — goods
  16. bank — for money
  17. stock — shares
  18. track — a song
  19. kick — in football
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. date — the fruit

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