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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: mate · key · temple · rule · shower · chair · cue · root

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. cue — a hint
  7. key — in music
  8. cue — a signal
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. shower — to wash
  11. mate — to breed
  12. shower — rain
  13. rule — a law
  14. key — for a lock
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rule — government
  19. chair — a leader
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. root — the cause
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cue — for pool

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