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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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Word bank
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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: chip · squash · rash · temple · shower · fork · wound · capital

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. chip — for betting
  5. squash — the sport
  6. shower — rain
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fork — in a road
  10. shower — to wash
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. capital — a city
  19. squash — to crush
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. chip — to eat
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. capital — money
  24. chip — in a computer

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