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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · straw · shower · court · chip · sharp · mouse · bark

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. sharp — clever
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. shower — to wash
  5. court — of law
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. shower — rain
  10. court — for sport
  11. chip — for betting
  12. chip — to eat
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. court — of a king
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bark — to shout
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. mouse — the animal

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