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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: land · key · temple · ground · mate · scale · shower · mouse

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. land — a country
  6. ground — a position
  7. key — in music
  8. land — ground
  9. scale — in music
  10. shower — rain
  11. mate — to breed
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mate — a friend
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mate — a partner
  18. scale — size or range
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. ground — the earth
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. ground — crushed
  24. key — the most important part

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