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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. chip — to eat
  4. shower — rain
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mate — to breed
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. row — a line
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. mate — a partner
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. ball — a dance
  17. row — to paddle
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. shower — to wash
  20. ball — a great time
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mate — a friend
  24. coach — a trainer

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