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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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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: cue · temple · mate · kick · capital · lie · spell · shower

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. cue — a hint
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — rain
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cue — for pool
  10. lie — to recline
  11. spell — magic
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. spell — letters
  14. cue — a signal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spell — a short time
  17. capital — money
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. kick — in football
  20. mate — a friend
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. mate — a partner
  23. capital — a city
  24. temple — a place of worship

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