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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. shower — rain
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. firm — a company
  8. shower — to wash
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. firm — steady
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rush — hurry
  17. firm — decided
  18. snap — to click
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. trunk — of a car

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