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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: club · tube · rule · temple · fan · season · firm · cold

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. firm — a company
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rule — a law
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rule — government
  14. firm — steady
  15. cold — not warm
  16. season — in sport
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. firm — decided
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. tube — the underground
  24. temple — side of the head

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