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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: fall · cell · temple · kid · mate · shower · cabinet · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pop — soda
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. fall — to drop
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. kid — child
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pop — to visit

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