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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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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. suit — in cards
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. march — the month
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. suit — to fit
  15. rush — hurry
  16. shower — to wash
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. suit — clothes
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. shower — rain
  24. rush — a thrill

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