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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: net · club · last · shower · track · mug · fan · temple

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. last — to go on
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. mug — a cup
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. club — for dancing
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — a path
  10. last — final
  11. mug — a face
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. club — a group
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. shower — rain
  16. last — finally
  17. club — for golf
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — to wash
  20. track — a song
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. mug — to rob
  24. temple — side of the head

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