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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.

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 · rash · shower · scale · spring · deal · pit · march

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. pit — in a race
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. spring — a coil
  9. shower — rain
  10. march — the month
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. deal — to handle
  13. scale — size or range
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. scale — in music
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pit — a hole
  18. march — music
  19. spring — the season
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spring — of water
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. march — the month

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