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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mate · shower · bowl · temple · hand · plane · cue · bat

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cue — a hint
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. mate — a friend
  15. plane — a tool
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cue — for pool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. plane — in geometry

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