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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: game · perch · chip · shower · rest · date · temple · race

  1. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — side of the head
  2. perch — the fish
  3. game — wild animals
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. chip — for betting
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. race — the arms race
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rest — what's left
  11. shower — rain
  12. game — a match
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. chip — to eat
  16. rest — what's left
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. race — a contest
  21. rest — a break
  22. shower — to wash
  23. date — the fruit
  24. race — humankind

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