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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cue — for pool
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. chip — for betting
  8. cue — a hint
  9. shower — rain
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. cue — a signal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. rock — a stone
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. bat — the animal

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