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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 120 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: temple · sharp · rush · deal · cue · fine · mate · shower

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. shower — to wash
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mate — a friend
  7. deal — to handle
  8. shower — rain
  9. rush — hurry
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. cue — a hint
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. fine — high quality
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. mate — to breed
  18. cue — for pool
  19. fine — all right
  20. mate — a partner
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. cue — a signal
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. fine — a penalty

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