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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. club — for golf
  5. net — for catching
  6. squash — the sport
  7. shower — to wash
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chest — of your body
  10. squash — to crush
  11. key — the most important part
  12. net — after costs
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — for a lock
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. club — for dancing
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. key — in music
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. chest — a box
  23. net — in sport
  24. club — a group

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