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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. file — a document
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. club — a group
  7. sharp — clever
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. can — a tin
  10. file — a line of people
  11. degree — an amount
  12. degree — from a university
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. shower — to wash
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. can — to be able to
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. degree — temperature
  20. file — a tool
  21. club — for dancing
  22. can — a tin
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. club — for golf

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