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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: deal · patient · track · fan · temple · court · shower · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. track — to keep track
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. court — of law
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. court — of a king
  10. track — a path
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. deal — to handle
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. fine — all right
  21. court — for sport
  22. track — a song
  23. fan — a supporter
  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