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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: shower · cabinet · squash · degree · march · mouse · pitch · temple

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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 — for a computer
  3. degree — from a university
  4. squash — the sport
  5. degree — an amount
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. degree — temperature
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. march — the month
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. march — music
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. march — the month
  23. pitch — completely
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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