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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: ruler · shower · wind · firm · file · track · ball · temple

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. file — a tool
  4. track — a song
  5. wind — moving air
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. shower — rain
  8. file — a line of people
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. file — a document
  11. firm — decided
  12. wind — moving air
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. firm — steady
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. shower — to wash
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. track — a path
  20. ball — a dance
  21. firm — a company
  22. track — to keep track
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ruler — for measuring

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