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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: deal · shower · race · staff · coach · temple · pop · present

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. present — the time now
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pop — music
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. staff — employees
  7. race — a contest
  8. pop — soda
  9. present — there
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. staff — employees
  12. shower — to wash
  13. race — the arms race
  14. race — humankind
  15. staff — a stick
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. present — a gift
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. pop — to visit
  24. deal — to handle

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