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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: shower · mouse · hand · bay · mug · content · kick · temple

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. content — the amount
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mug — a face
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. hand — in cards
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. content — happy
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hand — help
  16. mug — to rob
  17. kick — in football
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. shower — rain
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mug — a cup
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mouse — the animal

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