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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: shower · coach · temple · bass · kick · kid · suit · object

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. object — to protest
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — to tease
  5. suit — in cards
  6. bass — the fish
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. shower — rain
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. shower — to wash
  15. suit — to fit
  16. kick — in football
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — an aim
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bass — low music

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