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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: suit · firm · club · band · mate · shower · cold · degree

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. shower — rain
  4. club — for golf
  5. mate — a friend
  6. degree — from a university
  7. firm — a company
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. degree — temperature
  10. cold — an illness
  11. mate — to breed
  12. degree — an amount
  13. club — for dancing
  14. mate — a partner
  15. club — a group
  16. shower — to wash
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — to fit
  20. cold — not warm
  21. firm — decided
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a ring
  24. firm — steady

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