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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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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: wind · jam · ruler · temple · chip · season · key · shower

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. shower — rain
  6. season — in sport
  7. key — the most important part
  8. wind — moving air
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. wind — moving air
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. chip — for betting
  16. key — in music
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. key — for a lock
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — to eat
  24. shower — to wash

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