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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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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: track · club · kid · rest · temple · cell · shower · chest

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. chest — a box
  3. kid — to tease
  4. track — a path
  5. rest — what's left
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. club — for dancing
  8. track — a song
  9. shower — to wash
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. chest — of your body
  12. kid — child
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. shower — rain
  15. cell — in biology
  16. chest — of your body
  17. track — to keep track
  18. cell — a phone
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. club — for golf
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rest — a break
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. club — a group

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