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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 · cap · shower · calf · mate · charge · rule · bat

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cap — a lid
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. charge — electricity
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cap — a hat
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. shower — rain
  11. charge — in control
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mate — a partner
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. rule — a law
  18. charge — a price
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. cap — of ice
  23. mate — a friend
  24. rule — government

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