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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 · mouse · rest · shower · spell · face · swing · last

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  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 — to wash
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rest — a break
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rest — what's left
  6. swing — to play on
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. rest — what's left
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. face — part of the head
  12. face — to point toward
  13. swing — in golf
  14. last — to go on
  15. spell — magic
  16. face — to confront
  17. last — finally
  18. spell — letters
  19. swing — music
  20. spell — a short time
  21. shower — rain
  22. last — final
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  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