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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: shower · fan · calf · fork · temple · track · fine · racket

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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 — rain
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. track — to keep track
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. track — a song
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. fork — in a road
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. shower — to wash
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. track — a path
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. calf — a young animal

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