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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: toast · drill · cabinet · shower · jam · row · rule · temple

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. drill — a practice
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. row — a line
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. drill — army training
  9. rule — government
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. toast — bread
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. drill — the tool
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. row — to paddle
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. shower — rain
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. rule — a law

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