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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. shower — to wash
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. row — a line
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pound — a weight
  10. club — a group
  11. mate — to breed
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wake — a trail
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mate — a partner
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. club — for dancing
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. squash — to crush
  21. club — for golf
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. shower — rain

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