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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: pitcher · wind · chip · saw · temple · rule · hide · shower

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. wind — moving air
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rule — government
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rule — a law
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chip — for betting
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. shower — rain
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. saw — the tool
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. temple — a place of worship

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