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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 120 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: racket · fall · last · temple · shower · suit · bowl · arm

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. suit — clothes
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. fall — to drop
  10. suit — in cards
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. last — final
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. suit — to fit

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