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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. game — wild animals
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. swing — music
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. swing — in golf
  8. shower — to wash
  9. wake — a trail
  10. prune — to trim
  11. shower — rain
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. hand — help
  17. game — a match
  18. swing — to play on
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. deal — to handle
  22. hand — in cards
  23. prune — to trim
  24. deal — a big deal

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