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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 · chip · season · game · shower · nail · hide · tube

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. season — of the year
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. chip — for betting
  6. tube — a container
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. season — in sport
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. game — wild animals
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. tube — the underground
  16. game — a match
  17. shower — rain
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chip — to eat
  20. shower — to wash
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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