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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: chest · coach · shower · fork · club · roll · rash · temple

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. chest — of your body
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. rash — a series
  6. club — for dancing
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. chest — of your body
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. club — a group
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. shower — rain
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. club — for golf
  17. roll — a list
  18. shower — to wash
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. fork — in a road
  21. rash — hasty
  22. chest — a box
  23. coach — a trainer
  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