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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: deal · cue · fan · shower · temple · saw · last · hand

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. hand — help
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. deal — to handle
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. shower — to wash
  10. cue — for pool
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. saw — the tool
  14. last — finally
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. saw — the tool
  18. shower — rain
  19. hand — in cards
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. fan — a supporter

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