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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: coach · shower · bear · pitcher · cue · wound · pit · temple

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bear — the animal
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cue — for pool
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cue — a signal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pit — a hole
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. shower — rain
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pit — in a race
  24. cue — a hint

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