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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. present — a gift
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. degree — from a university
  7. shower — rain
  8. present — the time now
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. rush — hurry
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. season — of the year
  13. degree — an amount
  14. present — there
  15. season — in sport
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. club — a group
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. shower — to wash
  24. plane — a tool

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