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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: temple · track · shower · cell · toast · cap · march · bowl

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. shower — to wash
  3. march — the month
  4. cell — in biology
  5. march — the month
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. cap — a lid
  11. shower — rain
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. cap — of ice
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. cell — a phone
  17. track — a song
  18. toast — bread
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a path
  21. march — music
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — to roll

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