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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: temple · club · shower · perch · chip · mate · roll · hand

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. club — for dancing
  4. mate — to breed
  5. club — a group
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. perch — the fish
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. shower — rain
  10. hand — in cards
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. club — for golf
  13. mate — a partner
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hand — help
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. chip — to eat
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. roll — a cake
  23. shower — to wash
  24. roll — a list

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